


What I Go To School For

by b0nnie



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Abuse, F/M, M/M, Mild Language, Minor Character Death, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-08
Updated: 2013-02-07
Packaged: 2017-11-28 14:18:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 28,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/675335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/b0nnie/pseuds/b0nnie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry's mother remarries, and with that they leave the small, comfortable village of Holmes Chapel for bustling, overcrowded London.</p><p>Not only is Harry leaving behind the country lifestyle, he is also thrust into the hell that is Henry Compton School, half snobbish rich kids and half criminals. When Harry meets Louis, he is introduced to a life of partying rich kids and an easy ride through high school. But his secret friendship with Niall could ruin all of that, all while endangering the family he holds so dear. Harry must patch up what went wrong before he arrived to save not only himself but the people he loves. </p><p>All in all, moving to Fulham was not what Harry expected...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Big Move

**Author's Note:**

> I originally posted this to onedirectionfanfiction but I'm moving over here slowly so yeah. Hope you guys enjoy it!

Harry stood on the lawn of his home in Holmes Chapel, watching the removal men carrying the last of their possessions to the truck parked on the street. He stared through the window, watching his mother walk around the kitchen one last time, and felt the tears pricking the corners of his eyes. He knew that moving would make her happy. She really loved this guy, even if it meant moving all the way to London and giving up everything they had here, even if it meant he cried a little. 

They had all talked it through, and in the end Harry saw how much his mother loved this man, and only then did he agree to move. He remembered knowing it was the right choice as her eyes lit up to his agreement. So he couldn't really blame her for this, seeing as he agreed to it. Poor Gemma didn't though. Harry shook his head as he remembered the betrayed look she shot him over the table as he crumbled and gave in. They had made a pact to say no right til the very end. If  _He_ loved Anne so much,  _He_  was going to have to move to Holmes Chapel. But in the end, Harry realized he needed to be the bigger person in the situation, and here they were. 

His mind snapped back to the present time as Gemma walked up behind Harry, weaving her fingers in between his.  
'It'll be okay. People might actually... be nice, in Fulham.' Gemma stated optimistically. Harry snorted, his green eyes watching over his sister.  
'Yeah. Right.' He said bluntly. They let their hands slip back to their sides as their mother took the last few steps from the house. She reached out and grabbed both of their hands, turning back to face the house one last time.  
'Well' she started 'I guess this is it. Next stop, Fulham?' Anne turned to look at her two beautiful children, before pulling them both into a tight embrace.   
'I love you both so much' She blubbered. 'I'm so excited to start our new lives together'.

_________________________________

 

Three seemingly endless hours later, they pulled into their new driveway. Harry sighed, noting the change in scenery from the rolling Cheshire countryside to the clattered urban sprawl of Greater London. He was sure going to miss that place. Hiding his tears, he slipped from the car and closed the door, taking in the view he would have to accustom to. On the front steps of their new home stood Joe, the reason they had all moved here. Anne took no time running into his warm embrace.  
'Joe, it's so good to see you! The traffic was so light, we got lucky!' she exclaimed, pulling him into a hug and planting a light kiss on his cheek. Joe swooped Anne off her feet without a word, kicking the door open and carrying her in. Harry gagged at the how cute and, well,  _young_  his mother was acting before following suit.   
 _I guess it's not too bad_ , Harry thought to himself as he paced through the ground floor of the house. 

 

Realizing they may or may not have assigned bedrooms, he turned and clambered up the stairs in an attempt to pick the better room before Gemma, who was still standing dumbfounded on the landing, not quite ready to walk into her new life. Their boxes sat in the hall, meaning Harry had first pick of rooms. He took the second largest room, leaving the largest for Anne and Joe. He stood at his new window, peering out over the front lawn and out towards the Thames. Realizing it was dusk and the sky had turned a moody grey under the clouds in preparation for nighttime, Harry turned to flick the light switch by the door. 

As his eyes left the view, he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye of a boy in red skinny jeans on the pavement outside, a grey beanie pulled over his head, eyes glued to the ground in front and walking like he was on a mission. Only he didn't really take note of the boy, merely pushing the flash of time to the back of his memory as he turned on the light and began dragging his boxes into his new room.

Chapter End Notes:


	2. Loss, Greiving and Other Things

The bitter London wind bit down on Louis' cheeks as he pulled his grey beanie down further on his head. He was walking fast, his Toms pounding at the pavement. Honestly, he just wanted to get out. This city was suffocating him and it just plain sucked. He knew none of the boys would be running after him, they were too caught up in things. Zayn was too busy chasing after that girl, shit what was her name? Perrie. Liam was studying. No really, he was. It was even pissing Danielle off. And Niall, well, Niall had been asked to join the footy team and become a 'Lad'. None of them had heard from him since.   
  
There was a fine line to walk at Compton, you were either a rich brat or a criminal. Even if you were a nobody, you were sought into those categories. None of them had seen it coming when they asked Niall to make the change from Brat to Crim, no one had thought it possible. But there they were, missing their favourite Irish boy with his child-like behaviour and bottomless stomach. After that, they all kind of crumbled. Louis wasn't really sure what to do about it. They were relatively prestigious, they had a group that needed to be kept together in order to keep other groups together. But with Niall gone, it just didn't feel right.  
  
Louis bowed his head to hide his tears as they began to tumble down his cheeks. Not a single person had noticed him slip out of class early. No calls or texts from the guys. Nothing. They couldn't care less that his baby sister had just passed away. He had spent the afternoon in the park he had always taken her to, rocking back and forth senselessly on the swing until the sky began to turn a dull grey and he knew his mother was hurting more, and it was selfish to have stayed away so long. A few blocks from his home, he noticed a moving truck parked on the street outside of one of the houses.  
 _Welcome to this shithole_ , he thought to himself as he averted his eyes back to his feet lapping at the pavement in front of him, bringing him closer to home with every step.  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
Louis slipped through the front door, noting the warm and inviting smell coming from the kitchen.  
'LOOOOOOUUUUUUUU' cried Phoebe, leaping into his arms.  
'Hello Phebes' he chuckled, pressing a kiss to her soft cheek before settling her down. 'What have you been up to this evening?' He questioned, taking the time before he saw Jay to compose himself. She didn't need to know he'd been crying.  
'Well, we made cupcakes and then Daisy and I helped Mummy make dinner. Doesn't it smell _great_??' She asked, her eyes widening on the last word. Louis smiled down at his sister, thankful for the blissful ignorance of her youth. Louis made his way past the entrance hall into the kitchen, thinking this was a ploy for Jay to drown her feelings over losing her daughter, seeing as they had perfectly good house staff to make them dinner. As he paced into the kitchen, his thoughts were confirmed. Jay sniffled as she worked, attempting to steady her hands while she cut potatoes with a sinister looking knife.  
'Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down Mum' Louis said, prying the knife from her hands and setting it down on the bench. He wrapped his arms around his mother as she sobbed into his chest. He sat his chin on her head and looked to the ceiling, blinking back his own tears. He was here to be strong for his mum, but who did he have to be strong for him? Apparently, no one.  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
After dinner Louis excused himself pretty quickly, hinting that the maids could clean the dishes for them. As he slid into his obnoxiously large room - even he could admit that - he pulled his laptop from his bag and set it on his desk, opening it to check Facebook. He saw the little red box with a 3 in it above the messages, and opened it to see who from.  
  
 **Liam Payne**  
 _Mate I just got the news, I am so sorry. I didn't realize. I'm here if you need me man._  
  
 **Danielle Peazer**  
 _Louis how are you doing? Liam only just found out about Fizzy then, I can't believe him! Send my love to Jay, and if you need anything just ask. x_  
  
 **Zayn Malik**  
 _I am so sorry man. I was such a dick to you today, I thought you were just being a huge girl. I didn't even know. Talk to me tomorrow mate._  
  
 _Of course Niall doesn't even know_  Louis thought bitterly, slamming the lid shut. He threw himself on the bed, clothes and all, not even caring anymore. How had his life come to this? Just a few months ago everything was so perfect.  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
The four boys sat in the open grass of the quad, each with their respective girlfriends and each blissfully soaking up the eyes that were all trained on them. The elite. Louis turned to Eleanor, brushing her perfect locks off her shoulder before tapping her.  
'Hey, El, what are you doing tonight?' He asked, his bright blue eyes filled with hope.  
'Err, nothing. There's this party that's supposed to be happening but it sounds like a bunch of low-lives are throwing it.' She replied, scrunching up her face at the word 'low-lives'  
'Party at mine, Jay took the girls to see my grandparents back in Doncaster' Louis beamed. Everyone's head's popped up, each with excitement filling their eyes. 'No way' Zayn whispered, revealing his white teeth in a broad smile. He looked over to Claire, his girlfriend, winking suggestively. Niall and his girlfriend Sarah also looked pretty interested.  
 _'So like, who's bringing the food?' Niall joked, Liam punching his arm softly. They all laughed, eager with excitement for what the night may bring._  
  
Later that evening, Niall called. Word had got around so a lot of people from school had showed, but as long as the other three guys were there Louis didn't mind. That is, until he heard Niall stammering on the other end of the line.  
'L-l-look mate, I'd love to come but I just can't. I have some really important shit I gotta take care of' He stammered. Louis was hurt, but replied with a 'Yeah okay mate catch you Monday' instead.   
  
_________________________________  
  
  
Niall Hung up the phone and turned back to the boys looming over him.  
'I-I-I did it' he mumbled, as if they didn't already know that.  
'Good' The middle guy spoke up, extending his arm and wrapping his fingers tightly around Niall's arm, not caring that the blonde flinched. 'Now after initiation, you can repay your brother's debts to us.' He chuckled as his fist made a harsh blow to Niall's stomach, making the boy double over in pain.


	3. Take a Deep Breath... Girl?

Harry woke with a start, noting that the sun was shining in through his window in the completely wrong way, nothing at all like his bedroom back in Holmes Chapel. He sat up and rubbed his face with the hand that wasn't propping his body up. He slipped his feet onto the wooden floor, his hand now slipping through his curls, untangling the mess on his head.   
'Harry!' Anne called from downstairs. Moments later he heard the board of the staircase creak.  
'Harry!' She shouter a little closer now. 'Get up, honey, you don't want to be late on your first day of school!'  
Shit.  
School.  
Harry pulled on a pair of dark skinny jeans and threw on a plain white v-neck, cursing all the while. He grabbed a leather jacket out of his closet and stumbled out the door, slipping into his hi-tops.  
'I'm coming, I'm coming!' He shouted, still trying to get his shit together before he had to face the stairs.   
  
Walking into the kitchen, he saw a stack of pancakes waiting for him, with Anne watching him across the island.  
'Well go on, dig in. I figured you'd need a big meal for your first day' She smiled. He dug in, knowing he had 10 minutes tops before they had to leave. As he began eating away at the pile, he heard similar stumbling footsteps from above and moments later, Gemma appeared in the kitchen.  
'Yes, pancakes!' she exclaimed, her eyes opening wide.  
'Hey, those are for Harry, it's his first day of school!' Anne shouted, slapping Gemma's hands away. Gemma, looking defeated, stumbled back towards the stairs.   
'Fine' She grumbled. 'I'll be in the shower'.  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
Harry quickly finished his breakfast, and was about to leave when Joe stopped him.   
'Mate, it's your first day, better make a good impression' He winked at him, throwing Harry the keys to his BMW.  
'Sweet. Thanks, Joe.' Harry said, his eyes locked on the key in his hand.  
'But remember, if you break it, you pay for it' he chuckled, moving towards Anne and placing his arm around her waist.  
'Take care' Anne smiled at him, pinching the dimple in his cheek.  
'I will, thanks guys' Harry replied, turning on his heel and heading for the driveway. God he hoped he made a good impression today.  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
Louis sat in the quad, staring at the grass when three shadows were cast upon him. Before he could react, they were talking.  
'Hey Lou' Danielle said comfortingly, taking a seat beside him on the grass. Liam and Zayn followed suit, plonking down simultaneously.  
'How are you doing mate?' Liam asked, reaching across to rub Louis' forearm which was covered by a thick coat.  
'I'm alright. And I get it guys, no need to apologise. I understand you guys have things in your lives too.' Louis said, trying not to sound too depressive as he was trying his best to be strong. No one likes a boy who cries in public.  
'No mate, we fucked up' Zayn said abruptly. 'We totally neglected you, hell, we basically did to you what Niall did to us...' He trailed off, realizing that talking about Niall would probably only add to Louis' feeling of loss.  
'It's cool' Louis shook it off, forcing a smile. 'Let's just get on with our day, yeah?'   
  
As he said that, the boys eyes drifted along with everyone else's to the parking lot, where a BMW had rolled in. While it was not uncommon to see a BMW in the student lot, hell, Louis drove a Mercedes, but this one was new. Louis gazed in wonder as the boy stepped from the car. His soft brown curls falling messily around his perfect face. Emerald green eyes darted around the scene, taking in all the people watching him. He clung to his bag as he walked steadily to reception, clicking the lock on the car behind him.   
  
Louis wondered what it was about the boy that intrigued him so much, but it was causing a funny feeling to stir in him. It was like he wanted to stand up then and there, introduce himself to the boy and ask him his life story. There was something about that sweet face that made him want to know everything there was to know about him. Louis scrunched up his face in confusion at that thought, and smoothed it just in time for the boy to look up, locking his brilliant green eyes with Louis' sparkling blue ones. The boy dropped his eyes and kept walking, and it took a few moments before Louis realized he'd stopped breathing. He let out his breath in a huff and gathered himself before slowly walking after the boy, Liam, Dani and Zayn in hot pursuit.  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
 _Well, Joe was right about making an impression_ , Harry thought, widening his eyes at the thought of all those people staring. One in particular was that boy. He thought he'd seen him somewhere, but couldn't quite place it. Harry's eyes had locked on his, those bright blue eyes, and everything felt strange. Like, this guy wasn't just looking  _at_  him, he was looking  _into_  him, like he could hear his thoughts or something. Harry realized if he didn't break eye contact soon the boy might think something was up, so he averted his eyes back to the pavement and stayed on track to the Principal's Office.   
  
After speaking with Mrs Falls, he was escorted out. As she stood in the hallway with him, she said.  
'I need to find you an appropriate guide for your classes today. Ah! Louis, come here!' She called, reaching for a boy and dragging him over.  
'Harry Styles, this is Louis Tomlinson. He will show you to all of your classes today' She smiled, clapping her hands together before turning on her feet and walking back into her office. Harry stood there, aware that this boy was the same he saw that morning. Neither of them said anything for a few seconds, until Louis piped up in a bright, cheery, voice.  
'Well, you heard the lady, let's get you to class!' He smiled, and Harry felt a pang in his stomach. He didn't even understand how someone's smile could be that... infectious. Harry responded with a grin, dimples forming at the sides of his mouth.  
'Right then, lead the way.' Harry replied, handing over his timetable.  
  
When Harry caught himself staring  _again_  at Louis as he furrowed his brows and studied his timetable, he knew it was going to be a very long, very interesting day.


	4. A Lesson in History

Louis took more time than usual studying his timetable, as the pair of eyes trained on him made it a little hard to concentrate. When he was ready to go, he collected himself and looked up to meet Harry's gaze.  
'Well, you have History first and I happen to have that same class so that won't be a problem.' Louis smiled warmly, secretly wondering if Mrs Falls asking him to be a guide was a ploy to get him to actually attend class instead of hang out in the quad with Zayn or just skip school altogether. Louis began to lead the way, noticing that they were probably running late as the halls were eerily quiet.   
  
As they rounded the last corner to the History room, Louis was caught in his tracks. There, in the middle of the hallway, stood an emotionless, shell of a boy, his usual bright blue eyed laced with bitterness and hatred. Louis could only gape at what had happened to his best friend, his eyes wandering over the cuts and bruises left in his soft milky skin.  
'Niall' Louis whispered, pain seeping into his voice.  
Niall's lips twitched into and evil smirk as he peered behind Louis.  
'Fresh meat, huh?' A voice from around the corner chuckled. Jason, the leader of the Crims walked out into Louis view, placing a hand on Niall's still shoulder. They exchanged glances, before turning back to him.  
'We haven't been introduced' Jason smirked at Harry, who had been still and silent all the while.  
'Fuck off, Jason.' Louis hissed through clenched teeth. He cursed himself for being late, because having to speak to Jason was always the punishment.  
'Aww, protecting your little boyfriend, are we?' Jason teased, stepping forward. 'Hand him over, Tomlinson.' He barked. A little too loud maybe, because only moments later the History door opened and Mr Farnsworth stepped out.  
'Hey!' He called. 'Get to class Jason, Niall. Leave my students alone' he said, pushing the two away. Jason looked Louis in the eye, scrunching up his face in disgust before tugging at Niall's shirt who stared at Louis, expressionless, for a moment before turning and following Jason.  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
Honestly, the sound of the History door opening couldn't have come at a better time for Harry, who had stood there painfully quiet the whole time. He was studying the blonde boy, who looked like the life had been beaten out of him. He wondered how his parents hadn't noticed all of the cuts and bruises and... maybe he didn't have parents? Either way, he saw how Louis looked at him and couldn't help but wonder if he'd always been this way.   
  
When the second guy, apparently named Jason after Louis hissed his name in disapproval, called Harry his boyfriend, he wondered silently to himself if it was that obvious he was gay. He hadn't told a single soul in this town yet, and his family never spoke about it either, so how could he have picked up on it so fast? Harry fought not to change his expression to one of pure fear as Jason barked:  
'Hand him over, Tomlinson', but his fears were eased by the History teacher stepping out into the hallway to send the other boys off. Harry looked to Louis, who was already looking back at him, and found comfort in his reassuring gaze. Louis wrapped his hand around Harry's arm has he asked  
'You alright, Harry?' Harry took a few breaths and eased his posture before replying  
'Yeah, s'fine' Louis nodded in agreement and pulled him toward the classroom.  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
Most of the classes Louis and Harry had were the same, so they stuck together most of the morning. When lunch came, Louis invited Harry to come and sit in the large portion of the quad saved for Louis and his friends. As they walked over, Louis briefly told him about each of his friends. Liam, who was smart and caring and had an almost father-like authority to him. His girlfriend, Danielle, who was cheery and caring and also an amazing dancer. Zayn, who always caused the most trouble by skipping class to meet up with girls, and was also the school man-whore.   
'He had a girlfriend at one stage' Louis remembered. 'But she broke his heart and he never really went back to that. I think he figures emotionless sex is better than the potential of getting hurt'. He laughed darkly. Louis knew that feeling.  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
'El, what's wrong?' Louis asked, as he pulled his girlfriend up. She had been acting weird all day, and this had been his first opportunity to talk to her as her locker was next to his.  
'S'nothing, Lou. I'm fine, everything's fine' She mumbled, looking at the floor.  
'Everything is not fine' Louis said as he tried to pull her up again, but she slipped through his fingers and paced down the hallway. She was gone, again. Turning to Danielle, he asked.  
'What the hell has gotten into her today, Dani?' She looked at her feet, then at Louis, then back to her feet.  
'I guess you should know' she piped up, dragging Louis to a quiet corner to explain.  
'El, uh. El has been seeing another guy. And she, uh, she doesn't know how to break up with you and I shouldn't be telling you this but I care about you and if she asks I had nothing to do with this and...' Dani rambled, but Louis zoned out after the first sentence. Seeing another guy? Are you kidding?!   
'Who?' He asked, bluntly.  
'What?' Dani said, being pulled out of her rant.  
'Who is she seeing?' Louis repeated.  
Dani gulped, clearly uncomfortable at being the messenger in the demise of their relationship.  
'She's, um... Jason.' She finished.  
Of. Fucking. Course. Jason had a thing for taking what was Louis'. With that, he slammed his locker and stumbled to his car, tyres squealing as he raced out of the school car park.  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
Harry felt uncomfortable, to say the least. Liam and Zayn seemed like nice enough people, but not particularly accommodating. It was clear their group had remained the same since day 1. But still, they were polite enough to make small talk, mainly about his history.  
'So mate, tell us about you. Like, were are you from and stuff?' Zayn asked, taking a bite out of an apple and winking at a girl walking past.  
'Uhm, well, I'm from Holmes Chapel, which is in the Cheshire countryside.' Harry started, Liam, Dani and Zayn nodding at him. 'My sister, Mum and I moved here cos my Mum remarried.'  
'Do you like the guy?' Dani inquired, noting the slight bitterness at the last few words.  
'Yeah, no, Joe's a great guy. I just didn't want to uproot my life for him, y'know?' Harry replied, gazing over at Louis who had been awfully quiet this whole time. Apparently he wasn't the only one to notice.  
'Lou, what's wrong with you mate?' Liam asked, rubbing Louis' shoulder. Louis paused for a minute, thinking, before he replied.  
'I saw Niall this morning. He looks like total shit. I just, I don't know what to do about it anymore.' All the boys looked at their feet. So Harry had been right, Niall hadn't always been that empty.  
'Just let it go. He left for a reason. Sure, no one knows what that is exactly but fuck him.' Zayn snarled. The boys sat in silence for a while, before Dani began making small talk about plans for the weekend. Liam and Zayn flung themselves into the conversation, while Louis held back.  
'You right mate?' Harry asked.  
'Yeah, just a little shocked, y'know?' Louis replied, shaking it off and rejoining the conversation as if nothing happened.  
'...so I was thinking it'd be fun, yeah?' Harry caught on to the end of Zayn's sentence. 'Harry, you should come too.'  
'Where?' Harry asked, blinking his eyes and shaking his head to come around.  
'My place, this Friday. Mad party, everyone who is anyone in this school is invited. It'll be sweet' He grinned. Harry nodded in agreement because hey, who would turn down an invite when they would probably never have gotten one in the first place had it not been for Louis? Moments later, the bell rang and everyone hauled themselves up and got ready for class.  
'Music' said Louis matter-of-factly, ordering Harry along with Liam and Zayn in pursuit. Apparently, they all had this class together.  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
Music was the one class Niall couldn't avoid the boys, which meant he usually ditched it altogether. But this time he had to go. After being pulled up by a teacher for being out in the hallways during classtime, damn Farnsworth, he had to attend every class for the rest of the day... and that meant Music. He had hoped to show up early, to avoid everyone hearing the lecture from Mrs Pendergast, but the Lad's hiding spot was so far away he ended up being 5 minutes late.  
'Niall, nice of you to join us for the first time in months' Mrs Pendergast snidely commented. 'Take a seat' She continued, gesturing to the last seat available, next to that new kid who had been hanging around Louis and the guys all day.   
  
He couldn't lie, this morning when he saw Louis he was frozen. All the memories of how good they had it came flooding back, and it made him hate himself that little bit more. It wasn't his fault he had to leave. It was his stupid brother, Greg. He was the one who had fucked their older brothers over. Niall despised Greg, who had used him as a punching bag since he could remember. Well, thanks to Greg backstabbing the Lads all those years ago, it was inevitable that the new Lads would now use Niall as their punching bag. It fucking sucked. He hated what they did, he wanted no part in it. But he knew that if he tried to leave, Jason would kill him. And for that reason, he stuck it out, pretended he loved that this was his life. In all honesty, he was jealous of Harry because he could talk to the boys. Niall wanted to talk to Harry too, but the only kind of contact he knew he could make with him was beating the shit out of him. And that's when the idea came to him.  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
At the end of class, Louis, Liam and Zayn were talking. So none of them noticed when Niall had pulled Harry out of sight. Harry froze with fear as the bruised and battered blonde boy led him around the corner, and just before they were out of sight he felt a hard thud in his stomach, Niall punched him and made him double over in pain. Once out of sight though, Niall straightened him up.  
'Sorry mate, I'm just not supposed to be talking to you. Gotta cover my tracks.' Niall said, his voice thick with an Irish accent. Harry looked at him, bewildered.  
'What do you want' He half-squeaked, still clenching the subsiding pain in his stomach.  
'I just... I just want to know how the guys are doing. Are they ok? I mean, I worry about them all the time and I never get to ask about them and I just. I miss them.' Niall replied, hanging his head in shame.  
'Well, why don't you ask them yourself?' Harry questioned, standing up straight knowing he wouldn't be hit again.  
'It's not that simple. The Lads have a vice grip on me, if they saw me talking to them I'd be dead.'   
  
Niall's hands still rested on Harry's shoulders, as he'd pushed him up against the wall, so it was no wonder when Louis and the guys came around the corner they though Harry was getting the shit kicked out of him.  
'Hey. Leave Harry the fuck alone' Zayn shouted, shoving Niall out of the way. Niall gave Harry one last, sad, glance before running off.  
'Hey, mate, you ok?' Louis asked.  
'Yeah, fine, just a little shocked. S'all good' He replied, dusting himself off.  
'I can't believe that just happened. What kind of monster is he now' Liam wondered aloud, his voice thick with sadness.  
'Sorry I left you alone mate, won't happen again' Louis apologized. 'You wanna come hang at mine for the afternoon?' Louis asked. 'We're gonna hang out and maybe work on our music assignments.'  
'Sure, why not' Harry agreed, heading back towards the lockers.


	5. I'll Keep Tossing Rocks at Your Window

Harry slumped face down on his bed, exhausted from his first day. A thousand thoughts ran through his head, and he chased all but a few away. As he lay there his mind focused on Louis. On his beautiful blue eyes, the slight stubble growing on his chin and how  _good_  his ass looked in those jeans.  
Whoa.  
Slow down there, Harry.  
The afternoon had gone pretty well. Everyone had lightened up a bit after the encounter with Niall, Harry guessed that Niall had once been a part of their group by the way he spoke of them, how he 'missed them'. They sat around in Louis' huge cinema room watching Toy Story, of all things. Apparently Liam was a die-hard fan. They had all turned their focus to the weekend, talking about who was coming and what they would be drinking. Harry sat there silently with his dimples showing in a small smile. Louis sat next to him and as the afternoon dragged on, began to unknowingly shift more towards Harry. It started with their legs touching. Then, Louis rested his head on Harry's sturdy shoulders. By the end of the day, Louis was napping on Harry's shoulder while Harry played with the soft mop of hair on Louis head, gazing at the sleeping boy fondly. When night fell, and everyone went back to their respective homes, Harry had to force himself to let the boy go and walk home. The butterflies in his stomach fluttered when he thought he almost saw the same look of sadness in Louis' eyes as he said goodnight.  
  
Harry's wandering thoughts were snapped back to reality by the soft  _tink_  he heard. He looked to his window, and this time saw the cause of the sound. A small pebble hit the window, and another, and another. Wondering who the hell was throwing rocks at his window, Harry walked over to it. There, disguised by his hood pulled up over his blonde locks, was Niall.  
  
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Niall had spent the rest of the day in hiding. The boys had found him and thought what he'd wanted everyone  _else_  to think. He wasn't that kind of person, beating people up for the hell of it. Niall was actually sort of hurt that his friends, well, old friends thought he was capable of that. He knew then and there he had to see Harry again. After overhearing the boys saying they were going to be at Louis', Niall had hidden in a nearby yard until he saw Harry leave, following him home. After giving it a few minutes, and armed with a handful of pebbles, he began throwing them at the window of the room he had watched Harry walk into. Moments later, he appeared, a look of almost shock on his face. Niall stopped throwing the rocks, and Harry opened the window.  
'What the hell are you doing?' Harry called.  
'I need to talk to you. Please?' Niall begged. Harry shot him a stern look, before replying.  
'Yeah, alright, I'll meet you around the back.' Before closing the window. Niall quickly jumped the fence and walked around to the backyard, where he saw a light flick on and the back door pry open. He slid through the door into the warmth of Harry Styles' home. Harry pressed a finger to his lips, sneaking the two boys upstairs and into his room, remaining silent until he safely - and quietly - closed the door. Harry turned around.  
'Well, at least you didn't punch me in the stomach this time' Harry joked.  
'Yeah, sorry about that mate, I just had to make it look like I was roughing you up or whatever.' Niall replied sincerely.  
'So... what was it you wanted to talk about?' Harry inquired, falling back down onto his bed as Niall sat in his desk chair.  
'I just, I just wanted to know if you heard the whole story. About me, and stuff.' Niall mumbled, looking at his feet. 'You know, why I told you I missed the guys and stuff.'  
'No, not really. I can only guess' Harry shrugged.  
'Well, uh, yeah. So...' Niall began.  
  
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Everyone was all so excited for the party that night. Niall was stoked as well, of course. He was Irish, what could he say, he loved to drink. As the bell rang and he began his journey home, he was too busy thinking about how much fun it was going to be to notice the 3 shadows looming behind him. He got to the front door of his house and unlocked it before being pushed in by the 3 figures behind him. Immediately he was pushed to the ground, his face against the cool wooden floorboards.  
'Ahh, out dear little Nialler' a low voice spoke from above him. He looked up to see Jason looming over him, his feet only inches from Niall's face.  
'What do you want?' Niall replied bitterly, fighting against the hand pushing his head down.  
'Now now, Niall. Don't be like that. You know exactly what we want.' Jason replied steadily. And it was true, Niall knew what they were doing this for.   
  
His brother Greg had been one of the Lads. He prided himself on all of the shit he did, I mean, it's not like their parents were ever home to enforce boundaries. But one day, Greg took it too far. Jason's older brother, Eric, was the second in charge of this particular prank. They were torturing the new kids down by the train tracks. All was going as usual, until the blaring horn of a train erupted in the air. The new kids were all standing on the tracks, tied together. Greg was prepared to cut his losses and run, but Eric had a different plan. Wanting to be the hero, he pushed the kids off the tracks. But in the time that took, he sacrificed himself. That's what Jason was there for. Revenge. An eye for an eye. Whatever.  
  
'So, little Niall, you're going to pay for that. You are going to join us, you are going to take all the blows for us, and you will not complain, because you know you owe me that' Jason snarled, retracting his boot and kicking Niall, hard. The blonde curled up in pain, knowing he had to grin and bear this. Jason proceeded to grab a fistful of his blonde locks and pull him to his feet.  
'Now.' He started. 'I believe you owe someone an explanation as to why you're not coming tonight.'  
  
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Harry sat there, completely shellshocked, as Niall stopped.  
'So, it's not like I want this.' He finished softly, tangling his hands in his soft blonde hair. Harry was frozen, he had no idea how to react to this. It wasn't fair that Niall was being forced into this, it really wasn't. So he did the only thing he knew, he pulled the blonde to his feet and wrapped his arms around him. Niall immediately buried his head in Harry's chest, stifling his sobs. Tears even formed in Harry's eyes, knowing that this boy felt absolutely hopeless. As hopeless as Harry felt when he found out he was gay. As hopeless as Harry felt when his best friend left him when he came out. He had been there. He knew the feeling, and he didn't want Niall to feel it.   
  
They stood there embracing each other for at least 5 minutes before Niall composed himself and stepped back.  
'Sorry for that' He began. 'I just, I just really miss them and I wish I could tell them what's happening. We used to be really happy, y'know? Now we're all a little fucked. Especially Lou now that he lost Fizzy'. Harry had heard Louis talking of his sisters, and how he'd mentioned how one had passed not that long ago.  
  
'Fizzy. Well, Felicite.' Louis had said. 'She was, uh, killed in a hit and run walking home from the park. Drunk teenagers, probably. If we ever find them I swear to god I'll kill them' He snarled.  
  
'I know Louis has been blaming it all on himself. He was supposed to take her that afternoon but he was too busy moping over his break up with Eleanor' Niall told Harry. 'I don't want him to blame himself. It was the driver's stupid fault' Niall sobbed, as if he knew more to the story. But Harry had no time to press on, as he heard his mother calling from downstairs.  
'Shit.' Harry mumbled. 'You right to go out the window?' He asked. Niall wiped his face and nodded. He started to the window and just before climbing out he turned.  
'Thanks Harry.' He mumbled. 'I hope we can, uh, be friends. In secret or something.' Harry smiled and nodded as Niall climbed out his window. Closing it, Harry turned as the door opened and his mother walked in.  
'Harry...' She began.


	6. Ready for the Weekend?

The week had passed relatively quickly for Harry. It was spent getting to know the guys better, and after the first day, things actually picked up. Not only were complete strangers smiling at him in the hallways as he passed, Zayn and Liam warmed to him, happy to let him in after they noticed how nice he actually was. He was yet to come out to them though, and he couldn't help but wonder if that was going to change anything. Of an evening, he would sneak Niall in, careful that no one knew he was there as the consequences for him made Harry shudder in fear.   
  
The two talked about their histories, how Niall came from a wealthy business family, his mother having died when he was a baby. Seeing as his father was always travelling for work, Niall and his older brother had been raised by maids and other house staff. When he turned sixteen however, his brother was sent to jail and he insisted he live alone and that the cleaning staff only came once a week. His father had not protested, leaving Niall to take care of himself. This is why no one had picked up on the fact that he had not wanted to join the Lads, why no one was fighting for him. Harry told him about how his father left when he was young, and how long it took him to accept his sexuality. Niall didn't care that he was gay, so he gladly listened to Harry's insecurities of coming out to the guys as last time he did that he lost his best friend.  
'They'll be fine with it.' Niall reassured him. 'I mean, Louis is bi and he's the most popular one of them all' He added. Harry tried to contain himself as his eyes burst. Louis? Bi? Did that actually mean Harry had a chance? All of the talk about Louis' ex-girlfriend made Harry think it was all in vain. When the time came, the two said goodnight and Niall slipped back down the hallway, making sure no creaks erupted from the floorboards.  
  
Harry fell in to bed, knowing that tomorrow night would be a different story. As he settled in he couldn't help but think that his dreams were going to be filled the hope of finding out if Louis had feelings for him, as opposed to the past few nights which had been plagued by his stupid ex-girlfriend and how Harry knew he could treat him better.  
  
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Niall knew he was not alone as soon as he reached his driveway. He turned around to see he was being followed by Jason, flanked by Tim and Alec.  
'My my, Horan, you've been out late. What was on your agenda?' He quizzed the blonde, his evil eyes squinting.  
'I had to go to my Dad's office' He lied smoothly. 'The bastard won't be home for another month and I needed to pay the cleaning staff.' Jason took a step towards him, reaching for his collar.  
'Don't make a habit of it, Horan.' He spat, Niall noting the bruise on his face that, if he were there, he probably would have taken.  
'I hear your boys are having a party tomorrow.' Jason changed the subject, his hand still tight to Niall's collar.  
'They're not  _my_  boys.' Niall retorted. He hadn't meant for it to sound so sarcastic. Jason shoved him away, turning on his heel and nodding at the other boys to leave.  
'Whatever. We're going to be there and so are you. As one of us.' He snapped, disappearing into the shadows flanked by the two boys.  
  
As Niall stepped into his home, making sure to set the security alarm and locking the door behind him, he thought about what could happen tomorrow. The boys could think he was evil. The Lads could find out about Harry. Even worse, Louis could find out what happened to Fizzy.  
  
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It was the first night the Lads had taken Niall out in the car. He knew all of them had been drinking, so had he. But he liked that they had, they were a lot easier to deal with, and a lot less violent. It wasn't particularly late, the sun had only just set. Niall was squashed into the back seat between Tim and Alec, who were singing along loudly and terribly to the song on the radio. They were probably speeding and would probably get pulled over but that was the least of Niall's concerns. If anything, he wanted that. An excuse to get away from Jason. If he were arrested his dad would have to be called, and if his dad were called he would put every security in place to make sure his son never had to call him again. That's how it went.   
  
Niall remembered everything, every flash of time was now engrained into his mind, plaguing him, haunting him. Jason turned around to tell the guys to shut up and she was just there. Niall screamed.  
'JASON, WATCH OUT!' but by the time Jason registered what was going on and hit the brakes, it was too late. Niall remembered the awful sound he heard as the car hit her. He remembered it being so quiet, he could hear his sharp intakes of breath. They all clambered out of the car to see if she was ok. As Niall came around the front of the car he realized who it was. Stepping back, eyes wide, he whispered.  
'Oh god, Fizzy.' Tears welling in his eyes. Jason turned around to meet him, his eyes hard.  
'Don't you dare tell a single, fucking person about this. Get in the fucking car. NOW!' he ordered, the five boys piling back into the car speeding off. Niall cried himself to sleep that night, and every night after.


	7. We Make Plans

Louis walked in to the quad Friday morning to an unpleasant surprise. Liam, Zayn and Dani stood by a familiar face, sitting carelessly in their spot.  
'Good morning, Tomlinson.' Jason beamed at the boy. 'Lovely day, isn't it?'  
'What the hell do you want' Louis spat back, not trying to hide his distaste  
'Whoa, whoa, calm down, we're all friends here' Jason put his hands up defensively. 'I just heard about this fabulous party of yours and was wondering where my invite was'  
'Show up to my house and I'll call the cops.' Zayn threatened. Jason's eyed widened in mocked fear.  
'Oh my, we can't get the police involved, can we?' Jason shot back. 'No, I just wanted to come. I mean, I know you guys have been  _dying_  to see our little Nialler, and I thought I should bring him.' Zayn, Liam and Louis all hissed under their breaths, as Dani stepped forward.  
'Jason, sweetie, don't make this harder than it has to be' she smiled politely, holding out her hand to help him up, he took it, rising steadily. She smiled politely before continuing 'but please, don't come and ruin it, it's going to be a good night for us. Why don't you go and have a good night somewhere else?' Unsure of what to do around Dani, Jason nodded and turned. As he was about to leave, he stopped, adding:  
'Catch you round, guys. But let's hope I never catch you alone.' Louis shivered with rage, he never understood how people could be so full of hate.   
  
He turned to let out a sharp breath, noticing the curly haired boy walking towards him. He had avoided the confrontation, so his dimples were showing in a cute half-smile, his emerald eyes glowing. Louis' heart stuttered a little, taking in just how beautiful Harry was. It was only when Harry had walked over and said 'Hey Lou' did he realize he had stopped breathing altogether.  
'Hey, Haz.' He replied, letting out a breath and remembering to take a new one. Any of the tension he felt for Jason had now eased, as the curly haired brunette placed a hand on Louis' shoulder and led him to class, his skin burning under Harry's touch. Man, he really needed to get a grip. It's not like Harry was gay or anything, right?   
  
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Liam could tell. It was so fucking obvious, Louis really needed to get better at hiding himself. As soon as he locked eyes with Harry, it was like time stopped with him. Liam saw how he'd taken a breath in, but forgot to continue breathing. Chuckling lightly to himself, he nudged Zayn.   
'I think I know why he wanted us to like him so bad' He said smugly. Zayn looked over, the same chuckle escaping his lips.  
'Lucky for us he is a good guy, huh' Zayn added, nudging Liam. He was right. Harry was one of those genuinely good people, one that saw a heart in everyone. Hell, if he knew Jason's story he'd probably see the good in him too.   
'Tonight. We make this happen.' Zayn added, raising his eyebrows in their direction. Liam laughed and nodded in agreement, reaching for Dani's hand.   
'You in too, Dan?' He asked, sweeping his eyes over her perfect features. Her mouth pricked up at the sides, forming her sweet little smile.  
'Of course. I want nothing more than to see Lou happy again. He's been through absolute shit and he deserves a good guy. I really like Harry' She commented, giving Liam's hand a squeeze. He leaned in, lightly brushing his lips to hers as they were at school in plain sight, and teachers wouldn't stand for much else. Dani pulled away after a few seconds to add:  
'Oh, and we are getting Zayn and Perrie together. I hear she is keen' She winked at Zayn, slapping his arm. Zayn trained his eyes to the ground, clearly trying to hide his blush.  
'Aww, Zaynie's in looooove' Liam mocked, copping a punch to the arm.  
'Let's get to class, asshole' Zayn shot back jokingly, changing the subject. The three turned and headed for the doors, noting that Harry and Louis had already slipped off without them.  
  
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Honestly, walking in to school and seeing Louis straight away was a sure fire way to make Harry's day. Harry had seen how happy Louis was to see him, secretly hoping it was because he liked him. Like,  _really_  liked him. His blue eyes brightened when they made eye contact, and it wasn't long before his mouth pulled into his cute, dorky smile. Harry barely noticed Liam watching him as he walked up to Louis, cheerily saying:  
'Hey Lou'. He stopped for a second to wonder if they were on those terms yet, if he could call him that until Louis replied:  
'Hey Haz'. Harry beamed at the nickname, testing Louis' comfort by putting a hand on his shoulder and slowly leading him towards class. Louis complied, though Harry dropped his hand after a few steps.  
'Excited for tonight? It's your first Compton party.' Louis reminded him. Harry wondered if he should make some kind of joke about taking his Compton virginity but opted to say 'Yeah, I don't really know what I'm in for but it sounds good' instead. They walked to their first class of the day, English, chatting away about the night's plans and paying no mind to the many eyes fixed on them, some already speculating about their relationship. One pair of those eyes belonged to Niall, smiling quietly to himself as he saw Harry talk to Lou with ease.  
  
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 _It's so nice to see them like this, so... happy_  Niall thought to himself as he slipped into the shadows. Seeing them happy had actually brought a bit of a smile to his face, too. He would be sure to make it to music class. But as he shuffled along to his first class, he felt the familiar unease as Jason walked up behind him.  
'Horan' He called, voice seething with hate.  
'Yeah mate' Niall responded, turning to face the boy.  
'We can't go tonight.' Jason said bluntly. 'I don't really feel like being questioned by police. I reckon they'd still let you go though.' Police? Huh? And was that Jason letting Niall go to a party hosted by his old friends? What was the catch?  
'You need to get that Harry guy alone. We want to have a good old fashioned 'chat' with him' he chuckled darkly. Ah, so there  _was_  a catch. Niall nodded, accepting defeat. He'd find a way to make sure someone 'found' them, he couldn't let that happen to Harry. They were friends. With that, Jason nodded back to Niall and shoved him away, heading in the other direction towards the Lad's hideout. Niall shook his head, wondering if he'd get time to talk to Harry about what was going to happen.  
  
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The rest of the day passed quickly, and with every second Harry got more excited for Zayn's. Liam and him kept shooting the curly haired boy these looks all day, like they were up to something. He didn't mind though, it seemed like they had good intentions. Maybe they were trying to set him up with Louis.  
God he hoped so.  
Shaking the thought from his head, he headed to his car and started it up, waving his goodbyes to the boys and promising to be there soon, directions stored in his phone. About a block from school he noticed an odd movement, looking in the rear view mirror to lock eyed with the blue eyed Irish boy. Harry comically squealed, slamming on the breaks and clutching at his chest.  
'Jesus Christ, Niall. Don't fucking scare me like that!' He huffed.  
'Sorry mate, I had to hide so the Lads didn't see me. I need to talk to you. Drive.' He ordered, and Harry complied knowing the consequences.   
  
They pulled into his driveway and slipped into his house, and as they snuck in the back door Harry had a change of heart.   
'You know what, fuck it.' Harry said, pulling Niall into the kitchen. Before Niall could register what he was doing Harry called 'Mum! Muuuuuuuuum! Anne!' before a sweet, short brunette walked into the kitchen. He could instantly tell she was Harry's mum, they shared a few similar features.  
'Mum, this is my new friend, Niall. He's from Ireland. Niall, this is my Mum, Anne.' Niall composed himself from the shock of having someone knowing he was here before realizing it was Harry's mum, who was she going to tell?  
'Hi Mrs Styles' He nodded politely, holding out his hand for her to shake.  
'Lovely to meet you Niall, please, call me Anne.' she smiled back sweetly, gently shaking his hand. She was so polite and kind, he could immediately tell where Harry got his manners from.  
'We're gonna go have a chat up in my room. He's coming to the party I told you about tonight' Harry said, nodding at Niall as he shot him a smile.  
'Oh, well, you boys have fun and don't cause too much trouble' She smiled back sweetly, allowing them to walk away.   
  
They walked in silence as Harry thought of what to say. He stammered a bit before saying:  
'Sorry mate, I know you wanted to be all secretive and stuff but my Mum's a top lady, she won't tell anyone if I ask her not to. She understands. Plus, I wanted her to meet you so you know that you can come here whenever you need. I dunno, I just, I feel like you need a safe haven or whatever...' he trailed off, not sure why he let so much out. He was surprised when Niall threw his arm around his shoulder, replying:  
'Thanks mate. I really appreciate you doing this for me. I don't wanna drag you into it all though. You don't deserve it' Harry shook his head.  
'No man, I'm willing. You need your friends back and I want to help. I don't mind. So anyway, what did you need to tell me about?' He watched as Niall settled into his desk chair, his eyes pinned to the ground.  
  
'Jason, uh, told me I had to go to this party tonight to lure you out. Pretty much so he has a chance to 'welcome' you to Compton. And by that I mean tie you up and torture you by the train tracks. You know,  _that_  tradition.' Harry scowled, locking eyes with the Irish boy. Clearing his throat, he wondered aloud.  
'Who should I get to follow me to break it up?' Niall's eyes widened in surprise.  
'Wait, you mean, you're gonna go along with it?' He asked, dumbfounded.  
'Of course mate, can't let them know you told me, right?' Harry offered. He thought a little longer. 'Maybe we should call the cops and tell them what time it will be happening and just to be there, y'know, patrolling or whatever and 'stumble' across us. I can take a few blows to make it look legit. Just watch the face, gotta stay hot for Louis' Harry joked. Niall laughed, Harry watching him ponder for a while.  
'I think that can be arranged. I have security guards on call if I ever need them. I just, never wanted to need them.' Niall answered. Harry nodded in agreement. It was the only way the two were going to get out of this alive. After planning a little longer, He let Niall out the front door, but not before receiving his kiss goodbye from Anne.  
'You come by whenever you want, I'll make you plenty of food.' He smiled, taking her embrace and allowing her to peck him on the cheek.  
'Sounds good.' He replied politely. 'I love food. I've been known to have a bottomless stomach' he winked and chuckled to himself as he slipped out the front door. As soon as he was out Anne turned to Harry, eyes raised.  
'That's not the boy you've been talking about in your sleep. His name isn't Louis.' She questioned. Harry buried his face in his hands, wailing:  
'Muuuuuuuuuum'. She laughed, pulling Harry into a hug. He took his time to clear his throat, before piping up.  
'Mum, I need you to do me a huge favour. I need you to not tell anyone he was ever here. No one knows we are friends. They can't. He's in a really sticky situation at the moment and I just wanted him to know he was welcome here but we have to be secretive about it, I don't want him to be hurt because he hangs out with me. Yeah?' He asked, leaving her time to think it through.  
'Of course honey. Our home is his home. Secretly' She winked, pulling him tighter. God, Harry was so grateful for his Mum.


	8. Friday Night

It was safe to say Louis was a little nervous. He didn't want to get drunk, because he knew he'd tell Harry everything and that might push him away. Zayn and Liam, on the other hand, were insisting he drink himself stupid. He had come over straight after school to help party-proof Zayn's house, and having sent his Mum a quick text as to why he couldn't be home, was staying the night as well. Liam and Zayn kept giving him weird looks, and he was sure they had something planned for tonight, but he shrugged it off.   
  
A few minutes later, there was a quiet knock at the door. Zayn excused himself to answer it, returning moments later with an excited-looking Harry. Louis stopped to take in the sight. He was wearing a green plaid shirt which set off his emerald eyes, and a pair of  _tight_  black skinny jeans. Louis had to avert his eyes to stop his thoughts from evolving into something much dirtier.  
'Hey guys' Harry called out, Louis composing himself before turning to meet Harry's wave.  
'Hey Haz' Louis called, smiling quickly before returning to his job of hiding the vase in his hands. He needed to busy himself to avoid any thoughts of the handsome boy standing metres away from him.  
'Harry, give Louis a hand hiding stuff, yeah? I need to go grab the keg from the garage. Liam, come help me with that' Zayn called, barely being subtle.  
'Yeah, no problem Zayn' Harry replied, completely oblivious to Louis' joy. The boy walked over, picking up a ceramic bowl sitting on the coffee table.  
'This should probably go too, huh?' Harry asked as Louis gulped down any feelings.  
'Yeah, we'll hide it in the liquor cabinet. We emptied it because we'll obviously drink all the liquor, and it's the only cupboard with a lock on it' Louis told the curly haired boy. He was met with a flash of dimples as Harry smiled in response.  
Shit  
 _This is going to be a long night_ , Louis thought.  
  
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After hiding the most expensive stuff in the liquor cabinet, and the rest in Zayn's parents bedroom, Harry shuffled back to the living room and sat down, mulling over what was going to happen tonight. He noticed Louis staring, making him quickly change his expression to one of less pessimism.  
Wait.  
Louis staring?  
The thought of that made his smile a little more genuine. Louis was staring at him. He heard Lou clear his throat as he asked:  
'I think that's it. People should be showing up soon, I should probably grab a drink. You want one?' Harry nodded, thinking a few drinks would probably ease the pain of a punch or two. He realized he didn't have Niall's number, so he had no idea what was going to happen as he couldn't text him. On a whole other topic, this gave Harry and idea to make a move.  
'Hey, Lou!' He called, Louis sauntering back into the room carrying two cups.  
'What's up Haz?' He asked cautiously, handing him the cup.  
'I just realized I don't have your number. I should probably get it, you know, just in case one of us goes missing tonight'. Perfect chance to get Louis' number  _and_  drop a hint that he was planning on disappearing. Louis nodded, taking Harry's phone and putting his number in. Harry watched Louis smile at the phone as he saved it and give him his phone back.  
'Thanks mate' Harry told him, not sure what to say next.   
  
Lucky for him, Liam and Zayn returned followed by a keg which was followed by Danielle.  
'Hey Dani' Harry called politely. Dani smiled sweetly in response, walking over to him.  
'Hey Harry' She replied, picking him up and giving him a cuddle, nuzzling her face in his shoulder. She really was a sweetheart, and Harry could see why her and Liam just,  _worked_.  
'Thanks for helping Haz' Zayn called as he set up the keg.  
'Anytime, Zayn.' Harry replied, nodding his head and taking a sip from his drink, scrunching up his face at the bitterness of it. There was a lot of alcohol in this drink, and Harry couldn't help wonder if Louis was trying to get him drunk on purpose.  
Oh shut up, Harry.  
  
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Niall showed up at the party when it was in full swing, just like he had planned. None of the boys knew he was coming, so he wanted to stay pretty inconspicuous. The last thing he wanted was for his friends,  _old_  friends, to kick him out of their party. Slipping through the hoardes of bratty, drunk teenagers he spotted the mop of curly hair across the room. Sadly, said mop was surrounded by his friends. Making hand gestures and trying to gain eye contact, Niall waved frantically at the curly haired boy. Once locking eyes, he motioned for him to come over, watching the boy excuse himself from his friends and pointing to his cup, smiling cheekily. Niall slipped out of eyesight of the boys and waited for Harry to come over. Soon, he felt an arm wrap around his bicep and a breath drenched with alcohol whispering:  
'Is everything set up?' Niall nodded, turning towards the door. Harry cleared his throat before continuing.  
'Let's just get this over and done with.'  
  
Niall walked patiently alongside a stumbling Harry. He figured he got drunk to ease the tension, and hoped it wouldn't result in him spilling the truth. He nodded at the darkness, knowing his security guards were following close by, completely out of sight. As they neared the train tracks, Niall brought his finger to his lips to make sure Harry said nothing. Harry nodded, an almost queasy look spreading over his face. Niall would be nervous too, if this was him. The pair froze as they heard his voice.  
'Ahh Niall, you're not one to disappoint, are you?' Jason smirked.  
'Hello, Jason' Niall replied, attempting to imitate Jason's evil mockery of a voice.  
'You did well, Horan. I was expecting you'd wimp out. In fact, there's a couple of boys at your house right now. I better let them know you're not there' He added, pulling out his phone quickly. Once he had finished, he pulled his face up to meet Harry, his emerald eyes glazed over.  
'Well, Harry, I'm glad we finally get to have our little chat...' He began.  
  
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Louis watched Harry excuse himself, pushing through the hoardes of people. Another face called to him though, one that followed Harry as he walked out the front door.  
Niall.  
Shit.  
Louis rose to his feet, grabbing Zayn and Liam.  
'Guys, I just saw Harry walk outside and fucking  _Niall_  was following him.' He hissed at the two. They stared back at him, wide eyed.  
'You sure you're not seeing things Lou?' Zayn questioned. 'I didn't invite Niall. Why the hell would he come?' The life was sucked out of Louis' face as he realized.  
'Maybe Jason sent him. He hadn't put Harry through initiation yet' He gasped. Liam and Zayn nodded to each other, before tugging Louis along.   
'We're going to get him.' Zayn reassured Louis, stopping to grab a few of his, er, 'bigger', friends. The three, flanked by another four larger guys, set off for the train tracks. If Louis was right, they would find them all there. Every new kid went through initiation at the train tracks, though they nearly stopped doing it after one of the Crims had died when a train had come past.  _What was his name... Eric?_  Louis thought to himself as they paced towards the tracks.   
  
As they drew nearer, they saw the moving lights. Knowing they were right, Louis, Liam, Zayn and the other four boys moved quicker, wondering how badly Harry was hurt. As they came into view, they saw him.  _Harry_ , Louis thought longingly as they saw two of the boys restrain Harry. Louis' eyes wandered to who was standing in front of him, a fire of rage erupting in him when he saw the blonde haired Irish boy recoiled his hand, punching Harry in the stomach,  _hard_. Louis was sure he wasn't the only one seeing this, as a hiss erupted from the rest of the boys. But before they could swoop in and attack, they heard a noise.  
'Hey!' An unfamiliar voice called.  
'What the fuck do you kids think you're doing!' Another called. Two men in black suits stepped out from behind the bushes. One grabbed Niall.  
'What the fuck are you doing? Wait until your father hears about this. You'll never be allowed to leave the fucking house again' He shouted, slinging the boy over his shoulder.  
'Shit, bail!' Louis heard Jason call, the other boys dropping Harry, making a run for it.  
'You better run!' The other guard called. 'And if I ever see you at the house again you're dead, and I'm not joking!'  
  
The boys took it as a chance to run over, and as they neared Louis could have sworn he heard the security guard holding Niall say:  
'They're gone, it's all good.' Putting him down. Louis watched as Niall turned to Harry, picking him up and dusting him off.  
'You alright mate? I'm sorry, that was a bit of a hard punch' he sighed, pulling Harry in to a hug.  
A hug?  
'I'm all good mate, it was only one punch. I told you I was up for that'  
Mate? Up for it?  
What the fuck was going on.  
Louis' rambling thoughts were cut short, as the guards noticed their presence.  
'What do you think you're doing?' One asked. Louis spoke up.  
'W-we were looking for Harry. He just disappeared and we had a feeling he'd be here.' He stammered. 'Here, we'll take him' he smiled, offering his arm out to Harry, who gladly took it. The guard turned to Harry, who nodded, mumbling:  
'S'fine, they're my mates' before stumbling off with them. Louis' mind was all over the place. Did he just see Harry  _hug_  Niall? After he  _punched him in the stomach_???   
What.  
The.  
Fuck.  
'What. The. Fuck' Zayn whispered, echoing Louis' thoughts.


	9. I Don't Really Remember What Happened

Harry woke up to a throbbing head and a knot in his gut. He sat up, noting he was in his bed.  
 _What._  He thought.  _How did I get back here?_. He was uncomfortably hot in his clothes, as he usually slept naked. He threw back the sheets, slipping his feet onto the cool wooden floorboards and shuffling towards his closet, pulling off his shirt and jeans and exchanging them for sweats and his Ramones shirt. Running his hands through his hair, he rolled his head around, easing the tension in his neck before making his way downstairs, completely oblivious to the other figure sleeping peacefully in his bed.  
  
As he shuffled downstairs he was met with a giggle.  
'Morning, Harry' His mother called to him, implying she knew something he didn't.  
'Morning, Mum.' He mumbled in response, trudging towards the kitchen.  
'How did you sleep?' She giggled, following him in. What was with her?  
'Just fine. In all honesty though, I have no idea how I got here.' He admitted. She smiled, nodding at him.  
'I figured as much. Louis brought you home, you gave him directions... sort of' She chuckled, Harry putting his face in his hands at the name mentioned.   
'He's a nice boy' She continued. 'I made you two some breakfast, is he awake yet?'  
What.  
Harry stood from his chair, eyes wide. He darted to the stairs, taking them two at a time. He stopped just before his bedroom, creaking the door open. There, stirring from the noise, was a semi-sleeping Louis.  
And  _boy_  did he look glorious.  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
As Louis dragged, literally  _dragged_  Harry back to the party, he couldn't help but chuckle at how drunk the silly boy had gotten. Honestly, the weird events had almost slipped his mind entirely by the time they reached Zayn's house again. He was too busy trying to put one foot in front of the other while  _not_  concentrating on the proximity of Harry Styles' face to his own. He was drunk,  _no taking advantage of him_ , Louis thought.  
'I'm gonna slip off and find Perrie, yeah' Zayn winked at them before pushing ahead. The four guys behind Louis and Liam mumbled and walked off to wherever they were going. Liam looked at Louis, who he was carrying, and smirked with delight.  
'I'm gonna go catch up to Dan and explain what happened.' Liam said, shooting Louis a wink and disappearing into the crowd.   
  
Lou thought it best to find a couch for Harry to sit down on, and not having had enough to drink himself, stopped in the kicthen on his way there to pick up Harry some snacks and another drink for himself. The ratio of alcohol to mixer he put in was ridiculous, and it was only a matter of time before he began to feel light headed and dizzy. He noticed some girls were gathered around Harry and him, giggling and talking. Harry was concious, but not much else. He was laughing along with the girls, but Louis suspected he had no idea what they were saying. He spotted Liam and Dani pointing and whispering to each other, and Louis averted his eyes to watch Zayn and Perrie disappear upstairs.  
 _Atta boy_ , he thought.  
  
A little while later a relatively sober Liam and a completely wasted Danielle came to sit with Harry and Louis, Lou appreciating the familiar company. While Liam sat down on the opposite sofa, Dani opted to sprawl across the two boys, her head on the arm of the couch by Harry.  
'Hiiiiiiiiii' she slurred, giggling. Harry looked down at her, giggling and running his hands through her wild locks.  
'Hiiiiii Dani' he slurred in response. The two chuckled at each other, clearly the drunkest there.  
'How has your night been?' She prodded.  _Oh god no_ , Louis though.  _She's gonna tell him everthing_.   
'S'been good. Louis' been taking good care of me. Hasn't let any smelly girls get their mitts on me. Except you' he responded with a laugh, punching Louis' arm while looking at him fondly with his glazed emerald eyes.  
Wait.  
Fondly?  
Was Louis sure about that?  
He snapped out of it, realizing their eye contact was pushing boundaries for how long it was lasting.  
  
  
'The crowd's thinning a bit, what time is it babe?' Dani mumbled towards Liam.  
'It's nearly 4am, I should probably take you home.' Liam noted, pulling himself out of the chair.  
'You mean take me to  _your_  home, so we can have lots of SEX!' Dani practically shouted the last word. Liam choked a little with embarrassment, dipping down to pick her up of Lou and Harry's laps.   
'Time to go' He chuckled, slinging her over his shoulder. She grabbed his butt, making Liam squeal a little. Louis chuckled, waving at the drunk girl slung over Liam's shoulder.  
'Night Dani, night Li' Louis called. Liam turned around to face Louis.  
'Night Louis. Goodnight Harry, hope you had a good time' He smiled. Harry shook his head, probably regaining a little bit of conciousness.  
'Thanks mate, yeah, I had a good time. G'night Liam. Night Dan, take care having your SEX!' He shouted the last word at her, giggling and hearing her giggle in response. Louis turned to Harry.  
'Looks like we need to get you home too' He said, standing from the sofa.  
'Yeah.' Harry started, pulling himself up slowly. 'I'll give you directions.'  
  
Half an hour of stumbling, mumbling and giggling later Louis was almost sure he had the right house. It wasn't until the saw the familiar BMW that he was sure of it. The living room light was on, and after Harry's persistence that no one was going to kill them for stumbling home drunk, the pair nearly fell through the front door.  
'Hi, *hick*, hi Mum' Harry hiccuped. Louis giggled at how adorable he sounded. Moments later, they were joined by a shorter brunette lady. Louis stood up straight, and attempted to get Harry up straight too, to no avail. The lady chuckled.  
'He won't stand up straight, it's ok. I'm not a scary Mum, I won't yell or anything. Hi, I'm Anne' She smiled sweetly, extending her arm.  
'Louis Tomlinson, lovely to meet you' He replied, shaking her hand as best as he could, unable to help noticing the way her eyebrows raised as he introduced himself.  
Had Harry been talking to her about him?  
'Well, Louis. You're welcome to stay here. Thanks for bringing my son home. I'll have a good laugh at him in the morning. I'll go grab you some extra blankets, there's a sofa in Harry's room you can sleep on. Or you can just share with him, I don't mind either way.' She smiled, heading to a cupboard and pulling out a few blankets, handing them to Louis.  
'I'm off to bed, he can get you to his room.' Anne smiled at him.  
'Goodnight Louis', she added, heading towards the stairs.  
'Goodnight Anne' Louis replied, averting his eyes back to the giggling drunk boy in his arms.  
'Let's get you in to bed.' He whispered to Harry.  
'Only if you stay with me.' Harry mumbled in reply, Louis' stomach turning with butterflies at his response.  
  
A couple of thuds and a creaking door later, Louis was stirring from his sleep. The smell of his room was unfamiliar. It smelt more like, cinnamon, like... Harry. His eyes darted open as he realized where he was. In Harry Styles' house, in Harry Styles' bed.  
Whoa.  
He slowly sat up, bringing a hand to his head and rubbing at his temples, tender from last night's efforts. He heard footsteps and turned to see Harry slipping into the room, having changed into sweats and a Ramones tee. Even then, he looked uncomfortably hot. Louis could  _not_  be having these thoughts right now, sitting in Harry's bed. He shook his head, smoothing out his mess of hair. Instead of saying 'Hi' or 'Good morning', he was greeted with a chuckle from Harry as he pounced onto the bed.  
More whoa.  
'Feeling alright?' He laughed, extending a hand to mess up Louis' hair. He paused to catch his breath before smiling and pulling Harry down onto the bed.  
'I'm fine, but I gotta wonder how you aren't hunched over the loo in pain right now' He laughed at Harry, remembering just how drunk he was.  
'Don't get me wrong, I feel like shit, but I'll be fine' Harry laughed, rolling over and sitting up. Louis followed suit, as Harry headed towards the door.  
'Mum made a us a fry-up for breakfast' he added.  
'Great' Louis smiled, focusing too much on how Harry's voice wrapped around the word 'us'.


	10. Uh, What are You Doing Here?

Niall had woken with a start, recalling last night's events. He heard the security guards downstairs shuffling around and knew he'd be safe for the weekend, but school on Monday would be a different thing. He was definitely going to cop shit for having guards come looking for him. The boy shook out his blonde locks, before his thoughts turned to Harry. He wondered if he'd gotten back okay. The boys had shown up ready to fight, he figured they saw Niall and Harry walk out together. Still, he wondered how much of that they saw, and how much they interrogated Harry afterwards. Above all that, how much did Harry remember? He seemed pretty drunk, Niall remembered having to tighten his grip on him during the walk to keep him upright.   
  
Shaking all the questions from his head, he rose and dressed quickly, throwing on a baseball shirt and a pair of dark skinnies, grabbing a grey hoodie on his way out. He knew the Lads would leave him alone this weekend, no one would try and defy those two security guards. He nodded and waved to them as he slipped out.  
'I'm going over to Harry's to check on him. Be back soon'  
He shouted. One of the two called back:  
'No problem. If you have any troubles give us a ring' Niall nodded, heading to the garage and taking his father's car, seeing as it had tinted windows.  _Better to be safe than sorry_ , He thought, sliding into the driver's seat.  
  
Niall pulled up on the street outside Harry's house, wondering if he was even home yet. He realized it was a stupid idea and he should probably go home but he still found himself walking towards the door, knocking a few times. When Anne answered the door, smiling sweetly at him, he realized how at ease he felt here.  
'Morning, Anne. I was just wondering if Harry was here?'  
'Good morning, Niall!' She chirped. 'Yes he is, he's just up stairs at the moment. Come in! I made bacon and eggs.' She finished, motioning for him to come inside.  
'Make yourself at home' She continued,'I'll just go and grab him. Niall walked towards the kitchen, the smell making him realize just how hungry he was, and how long it had been since he'd had a home cooked meal. He slid a few pieces of toast in the toaster and began to place a few pieces of bacon on his plate when he heard the familiar creaks of floorboards.  
'So, you beat me up then you steal my food. Top guy you are.' Harry joked, slapping Niall in the arm. 'Morning' he added, smiling.  
'Wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't steal your food. School bully and all' Niall retorted, winking at him. It was nice to know that Harry didn't hate him for having to punch him. It's not like he had a choice, Jason made him and stood there breathing down his neck as he did it.  
'How are you feeling?' He continued, shaking the thought.  
'M'fine. Bit tender here and there but that's what you get for drinking so much' He chuckled. By then the two had their plates full, and were sitting down to eat. He heard the creaks of Anne shuffling around upstairs, and so Niall continued.  
'How much do you reckon the guys saw? I don't want them to know that we're friends just yet. You know, they might get a bit hurt. Or whatever' Harry squinted his eyes in thought, before replying.  
'I dunno. They didn't really bring it up, here's hoping they forgot altogether. I know Zayn and Liam were preoccupied by girls, but Lou wasn't so maybe he'll remember it. Damn.' Niall looked at his plate, thinking back to when he talked about the guys so freely. There was no denying he missed it. His reminiscing was cut short however, by the sound of feet plodding into the kitchen followed by:  
'Uh, Niall, what are you doing here?'  
Louis.  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
After Harry excused himself, Louis walked to the closest mirror to have a look at himself. Man, he looked like death. He really needed to get home. But even with that thought, something inside him made him want to stay. He was in Harry's house, how often was that going to happen? He figured he should savour the moment. After cracking his back, which was pretty tense from carrying Harry last night, he began his way downstairs, trying to remember which way the kitchen was. After making a few wrong turns he spotted the room, and followed the low mumbles from it that drifted down the hall. Expecting it to be Anne and Harry in conversation, he was met with a shocking surprise as he looked down at the blonde haired Irish boy, smiling and talking to Harry like they were best friends. He stared for a moment, before choking out.  
'Uh, Niall, what are you doing here?'  
  
His gaze was met by both Niall and Harry's. Niall looked like he had been caught doing something unforgivable, Harry's expression not far off. The two sat with their half-eaten plates of food. Louis, not really knowing what to do, began to fill his own. Honestly, if Harry wanted Niall in his house it wasn't Louis' place to make a fuss about it. Obviously they had reasons.  
'I, uh, I should get going.' He heard as the blonde rose from his chair, looking around. Harry stood up after him.  
'Thanks mate. Feel free to come around whenever, yeah?' Harry told him, Louis figured he didn't care about being secretive as much.   
'Yeah, thanks Haz. I appreciate it. Tell Anne I said thanks too' Niall replied, pulling Harry into a quick hug. Louis felt a pang of jealousy as he watched Niall effortlessly wrap his milky arms around the curly haired boy. Louis looked down at his plate, realizing how much he wanted to do that himself. His thoughts were interrupted by Niall stammering.  
'I, uh, take care, Lou' Louis looked up, blinking. Had Niall just spoken to him? He sounded so much more fragile than he used to, Lou was a little bit shocked.  
'You too, Nialler' He replied softly.  
  
As the blonde slipped out the door, Louis turned to Harry, a million questions racing in his head. But before he could ask a single one, Harry held up his hand.  
'Don't ask. It's rather complicated, and I'm just helping him. I'll tell you when the time is right. But, for the time being, can you please forget he was here?' Harry begged, his eyes gleaming. Louis couldn't say no to that.  
'Yeah, uh, I can do that.' Louis reassured the boy. 'But you do owe me an explanation at some point.' He added. Harry nodded in agreement.  
'Yeah' he mumbled, his mouth half-full of food, making Louis chuckle. He watched the curly haired boy eat hungrily for a few seconds, before the rumble in his own tummy reminded him he should be doing that too. Sitting in companionable silence, the two boys ate the breakfast Anne made for them.  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
Harry wasn't sure what to say when Louis told him he would need an explanation at some point, so he merely agreed and carried on eating, Louis following suit. After sitting in silence for a while, and not feeling the least bit awkward, Harry sat back, patted his tummy and burped quite loudly. Louis stifled his giggles his hand, telling Harry  
'Manners, Haz.' before wondering why the hell he would need them, it was just those two. Harry laughed and stood up, taking both of their plates to the dishwasher. Closing it, he turned and asked.  
'What's on the agenda for today?' Louis looked a little confused, before replying.  
'Well, I need to go home and shower, but apart from that, nothing really. Wanna come over?' Harry nodded in agreement, adding:  
'Yeah sounds good. Just lemme get changed.' as he turned to leave the room, Louis spoke up.  
'My sisters will be home, too. You'll get to meet them.' Harry smiled excitedly as he hurried up the stairs.  _Meeting the family_ , he thought.  _Even if they're only kids_ , he added, shaking his head.  
  
After giving his mother a quick peck goodbye, the pair jumped in Harry, er,  _Joe's_  car - which Harry had been smart enough to leave at home the night before - and headed towards Louis'. Pulling up, Harry noted Louis' Merc, but also another car next to it. He figured Lou's mother would be home as well, he thought as he turned off the engine and stepped out of the car. Louis pulled him along through the front door, before calling:  
'Mum! Jaaaaay! I'm hooooooooome!' in a - for lack of a better word - really  _gay_  sounding voice. Harry chuckled at that thought, before looking up to watch those blue eyes of his sparkling at him. Regaining composure, Harry turned to see who he figured was Louis' mum come rushing in.  
'Hi honey, how was last night? Oh, you brought a friend home! Why hello there young man. I'm Jay, Louis' mum.' She introduced herself, extending her hand whilst playfully slapping Louis in the arm, who had now turned bright red.  
Was there something he was missing?  
'Harry Styles. Lovely to meet you, Jay' He smiled with his best charm, shaking her hand lightly. She smiled back at him, before turning to Louis.  
'The girls are upstairs. They'll be pretty happy to see you... and your new friend' she added, flashing Louis a wicked grin.  
Okay. Someone needed to tell him what that was about.  
  
Louis mumbled a reply, grabbing Harry's hand and dragging him towards the cinema room. Harry couldn't help but be a little flustered over how easily Louis reached for his hand, and how he was yet to break the contact. As they came to the door of the cinema, however, Louis dropped his hand to reach for the door, Harry looking at his toes, somewhat saddened by that. When he looked up, he was met by two buzzing little girls and one older girl, looking at them boredly.  
'Hey Phebes' Louis interrupted his thoughts, picking up the little girl and blowing a huge raspberry on her cheek, making her giggle and squeal. He plonked her down, picking up the other little girl and giving her cuddle too. Harry couldn't help but stare at Louis, thinking Lou would make an amazing Dad.   
'Phoebe, Daisy, this is Harry' Louis said, putting on his little kids voice.  
'Hiiiiiiiiiii Harry' the one he heard Lou called Phoebe said to him.  
'Hello there, Phoebe' Harry smiled, ruffling her hair up and watching her giggle. He turned to the other girl, saying:  
'And you must be Daisy. Hello there' He smiled at her, Daisy smiling back. As he stood up, Louis nudged him.  
'That's Lottie over there. She's taking it a bit harder than the other two' He mumbled, his concern for his younger sister evident.  
  
  
'Okay girls, we'll let you get back to playing now' Louis chirped, hiding any signs of pain from his sisters. Harry felt him tugging at his hand and willingly let him pull him into another room. Harry guessed by the clothes strewn haphazardly on the floor and the collection of band posters on the walls that this was Louis' room.  _It's like, twice the freaking size of my room_ , Harry gaped to himself. So much for thinking he had it lucky. Louis plonked himself down on the couch, Harry sitting down after him. Louis clicked on the TV to some mindless garbage, before turning to Harry.  
'I'm gonna go have a quick shower. Make yourself at home. There's food in the minibar over there' He motioned, rising from the couch.  
'Promise I won't be too long' He smiled, closing the bathroom door behind him. He heard the sound of water running, muffled by Louis' singing. Harry chuckled, wishing he could be in there to see Louis.  
What.  
Slow down there.  
  
Shaking the thoughts from his head, he rose and walked over to the desk, a photo of Louis, Liam, Zayn and Niall caught his eye. They all looked a fair bit younger, probably around 14/15. But they looked happy. Next to it, was a photo of the four of them, probably around 6 years old. Staring down at the photo, Harry realized why Niall was so bent on getting those boys back. They must be the only real friends he's ever known. Too busy being engulfed in the photos, Harry didn't hear the water shutting of or the singing turning to humming.  
'All done' Louis said, reappearing from the bathroom in a pair of boxers and nothing else. Harry jumped, startled by his sudden presence, and turning around jumped again at the sight of Louis in boxers.  
 _Shit_ , Harry thought as he averted his eyes. Louis had his back turned, pulling on a Killers t-shirt and a pair of plain skinny jeans. Dragging Harry back to the couch, he fell onto the soft leather, Harry feeling Louis' arm draped around him. He took steady breaths controlling himself. As he turned to meet Louis' eyes, Louis asked:  
'So. When are you gonna tell be about Niall?'


	11. The Roof Caved in and the Truth Came Out

Louis stared, his mouth agape as Harry let it all out. He knew Harry had wanted to keep this, and he knew he would ask not to repeat it to a single soul, but that didn't stop Louis from feeling the shock of the moment. Then Louis realized:  
 _His Nialler hadn't changed a bit_. Louis remembered losing countless nights of sleep wondering how someone can go from a lively, kind hearted boy to a shell of a human. He shook his head, realizing the heart behind Niall's move. He was paying the price for his stupid fucking brother. Of course Niall would put his family before him, despite the fact that Greg was in jail for manslaughter. Turns out he was the reason that Eric kid died. After Harry was done Louis took a few deep breaths, trying desperately not to let any tears escape his eyes. Looking up, he whispered.  
'Thank you so much Harry. F-for doing that for my Nialler. I was way too stubborn to realize there might have been a bad reason for him leaving us. I just thought he was being an ass' Louis admitted. He felt Harry's palm rubbing up and down his spine, and he had to admit it was kind of soothing. Taking full advantage of the moment, he turned to Harry, his emerald green eyes widening in confusion. Louis ducked his head under Harry's chin, resting his head on his chest and allowing Harry to wrap his around Louis, gently squeezing him. Louis took a deep breath, inhaling the spicy smell of Harry's cologne, making him feel more at home than being in his room ever could.  
  
The two boys sat like that for hours, just embracing each other, occasionally sleeping. After a while they had turned their attention back to the TV, but never broke contact. It wasn't until Harry felt his phone buzzing that he sat up to check it. An arm still around a dozing Louis, he hit the answer button.  
'Mum, hi, what's up?' Harry asked, his voice husky from the conciousness he drifted in and out of.  
'Hey, sorry to interrupt boyfriend time and all' Anne began.  
'Ugh, Mum.' Harry groaned in response.  
'But, Niall's here with his guards and he's in a spot of trouble. Would you be able to come home?' She continued. Harry's eyes blew wide open. Niall coming to Anne because he was in trouble could only mean one thing.  
 _The Lads knew._  
Sighing, he agreed to come straight home and hung up, not forgetting to tell his Mum he loved her. He shook Louis, waking him from his peaceful slumber. Barely conscious, Louis whispered.  
'What's happening Haz?' Harry looked down at him, whispering in response.  
'Niall's in trouble, I gotta go help him out' He slipped out from under Louis' head, easing it onto the couch as he stood.  
'Mmmkay' Louis mumbled, already back to sleep. Harry stood there watching until he was sure Louis was completely asleep before he allowed himself to bend down and graze his lips against Louis' cheek.  
'Sleep tight, Lou' Harry whispered affectionately.  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
As Niall pulled into his garage, he noted the familiar car parked on the street outside. Knowing that the security guards were there and he'd be safe, he took a few deep breaths before opening the door leading into the house. He took slow, cautious steps until he emerged in the living room, three figures seated on the couch, the two security guards looming over them.  
'Tell your guards to ease up' Jason began, rising from the sofa. 'They're giving me the creeps.' Niall nodded to Jason, before responding:  
'I can't, my father sent them. They don't respond to me.' Jason nodded at him, then at the security guards, before turning back.  
'You've been out for a little while, we've been waiting almost an hour' Jason acknowledged. Niall took deep, slow breaths as he prepared his lie.  
'I had to take care of some of Dad's business. The kind of business I can't tell you about.' Niall said, his voice unwavering. Damn, he was becoming a good liar.  
'A little Daddy's boy, are we now?' Jason chuckled, Tim and Alec doing the same.  
'You would be too if you were in line to inherit all his money' Niall retorted in his most evil voice. Jason smiled at him, pouting his lips in a 'not bad' face. Like he was impressed at how conniving he had made Niall. Taking slow steps, Jason paced over to Niall, stopping mere inches from his face.  
'I don't know  _what_  it is you're doing, but you're missing valuable Lads time. if you keep missing it, we'll have to do something about it.' He sneered, looking up at the security guards. 'And he has to comply, it's part of his contract with us' He purposefully stated in the direction of the guards. Stepping back, he summoned Tim and Alec.  
'See you Monday, Horan.' Jason finished, turning and leaving out the front door, the other two close behind.  
'Fuck.' Niall whispered under his breath. They were onto him. He needed to let Harry know.  
  
After waiting the necessary time for the boys to have left, Niall darted into the garage, sliding into the driver's seat of his father's car, motioning for the two guards to jump in with him. Taking every back route he knew how, Niall pulled to a halt in front of the Styles' residence, knowing for sure the boys knew where he was going all along. He raced to the door, hoping that the Lads hadn't already decided to drop by. Anne answered the door, her face dropping when she saw Niall's hard expression and the two large security guards behind him.  
'Hi Anne, sorry to bother you, it's just that I think I may have gotten you into a spot of trouble.' Anne's brows furrowed in confusion, and she smoothed them out before replying.  
'Absolutely, come in darling. Harry isn't here right now, does he need to be?' Niall nodded, Anne pulling out her phone and making the quick call. She led Niall to the kitchen table, the security guards following behind wordlessly. As they sat and waited for Harry to arrive, Niall filled Anne in on what was happening and how he had to keep it under wraps to avoid his father finding out, which meant no cops. Anne stared at him, wide eyed with concern for the boy.   
  
A few minutes later, the front door rattled and Harry stumbled in. Finding the two, he asked.  
'What's going on Niall? Do you think they know?' Niall nodded slowly, watching Harry's face change.  
'Will they hurt Mum?' He asked, Niall shaking his head.  
'Not with my guys around. They'll be here. Invisible. All the hours they're not in school. I can tell them when I don't see any of the guys around.' Niall answered. He watched Harry's expression soften, before hardening again.  
'But what about you?' He asked, genuine concern seeping into his voice. Niall was a little shocked by this question, as he wasn't used to anyone really caring about him enough to feel concerned for him.  
'I'll be fine, nothing I can't take and haven't taken before' Niall looked at his fingers, playing with his nails absentmindedly. Harry made a face, as if he was about to object, then changed his mind.  
'Okay, fine. But if you don't keep in regular contact with me, I'll know something's up. Got it?' He told Niall sternly, reaching his hand over for Niall to place his phone in. After exchanging numbers, Harry rose to his feet, pulling Niall into a tight hug.  
'Thank you so much mate. I won't let anything bad happen to you. I can't. I owe you so much. I promise I'll get you out of this' Harry whispered, blinking back tears.  
'Yeah man, we'll find a way out.' Niall responded, feeling a brotherly connection he never had with Greg. Realizing how much he cared for this family, he excused himself, knowing staying any longer could mean the Lads finding him there. As he reached his car he turned back to the house, knowing it would be the last time he saw it for a while. As he sped off, he passed by 3 teens with their hoods pulled up, obscuring their faces. He couldn't help but take a closer inspection in the rear view mirror, confirming his fears. It was Jason, Tim and Alec.  
They knew.


	12. The Days Go By

Zayn walked into school Monday morning, completely at ease. He didn't care that Louis hadn't shown to help clean up after the party. He figured he was preoccupied with Harry and let it slide. Zayn himself had been pretty preoccupied. For one, Perrie had stayed the night, which he hadn't expected. In the morning, she made him pancakes. Another unexpected surprise. The last surprise? She'd come over Saturday. And Sunday. And this morning. That's right, Perrie Edwards was becoming a permanent fixture in Zayn Malik's life. He was going to ask her to be his girlfriend this afternoon. Another beautiful surprise he received as he walked into the quad was that same beautiful girl, sitting next to Dani in the spot reserved for the guys. She looked up, smiling devilishly at Zayn. He stared at her, wondering how someone so amazing could want him. Rising to her feet, she greeted him with a soft kiss on the lips, quite the change from the rough passionate kissing they had been through all weekend.  
  
 _Fuck it, I'm not waiting 'til this afternoon_ , Zayn thought to himself. Clearing his throat, he gazed down at the beautiful, milky skinned blonde girl.  
'Perrie. I was, uh, just, uhm, wondering if. Y'know. You'd uh... be my girlfriend?' Zayn stammered. 'Because I mean, we had such a good weekend and I think you're an amazing girl and I've been secretly lusting after you for like nearly a month now and-' Zayn's rambling was cut of by a sudden kiss. Regaining his composure, he kissed back more forcefully before letting the girl pull away.  
'Of course I will be, but only if you stop rambling' Perrie teased, slapping Zayn's arm.   
Wait.  
She said yes?  
She said yes!  
Zayn beamed as he looked down at the girl who would now be all his. No wondering if she was returning his gazes, or if making pancakes was just a kind gesture. He beamed with content, becoming aware of Dani and Liam's gaze, both smiling fondly.  _Well, two down two to go_.   
  
At that thought, Zayn turned to scan the crowd in search of the two boys. He left his arm around Perrie, who was in a giggly discussion with an embarrassed Dani at the state she had been in Friday night. After a while of searching, he became aware of a blue eyed, messy haired brunette making his was towards them, the curly haired brunette running to catch up to him.  
Aww.  
Louis acknowledged Zayn's gaze, nodding at him and smiling, probably at the fact that he was holding Perrie in his arms.  
'Morning Zaynie, Perrie' Louis chuckled, grinning wickedly.  
'So I presume this is a thing now?' He enquired, easing into Harry's side.  
'Yes it is. I asked her to be my girlfriend. I presume you...' Zayn began, but stopped after Louis' eyes widened. in shock, shaking his head stiffly. Oh, so he hadn't told Harry how he felt yet? It seemed pretty obvious they were madly in love with each other but hey, some things take time. He shrugged it off, hearing the bell ring. He looked down to Perrie, who was already looking at him. He felt his heart jump a couple of beats as she smiled at him, pulling him towards the lockers  
 _God_ , he could get used to this.  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
The worst part about the Lad's hideout was that it had a perfect view of the quad. Niall looked out, too pained to move, watching the boys converse on the grass. Liam and Dani, Louis and Harry, Zayn and - huh - Perrie. Niall smiled a pained smile from the bruising on his face, he was glad Zayn had her now. Niall knew Harry would text him soon to check up on him, and he would have to lie. He had been fine up until this morning. The lads ambushed him, dragging him out to their hideout before beating the complete shit out of him, snarling things like:  
'Where are your security guards? Oh right, you gave them to that little faggot Styles.'  
or  
'I can't believe you thought you were fucking fooling us. What do you want with that kid anyway? Fuck buddies?'  
By the time they were done they left him there, bleeding and battered. He knew he was in no state to go to class, and so he was waiting until everyone had moved inside before he would sneak home.  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
Even though Harry hadn't seen Niall all day, he was responding to his messages, so he knew he was alive.  _Probably laying low or something_ , he thought to himself as he sat down beside Louis in English. Neither of them paid any particular attention to the lesson, they were merely passing notes and kicking each other under the tables when the teacher had his back turned. The day continued like that, and Harry thanked his lucky stars he had all but one class with Louis. He also cursed them, knowing that his want to be so close to Louis was something he wasn't sure how to tell him about.  
  
He was going to tell Louis eventually, right? He thought he should probably drop a hint that he was gay first, to be honest. So at lunch, when Harry made a comment about how cute Zayn and Perrie were, and he replied:  
'We'll find you a girl next, promise' Winking at him, Harry jumped at his chance.  
'Uh, probably have a better chance finding me a boy, mate.' Harry chuckled. He shuffled nervously before watching Liam and Dani hi five, Liam shouting:  
'Called it!' the six of them laughed, and Harry forced himself not to look to Louis for approval as that would probably give him away  _completely_. The rest of the day continued with ease, Harry feeling so much more comfortable at Compton than his first week. Girls freely walked up to him, asking him how he liked Zayn's party and if there was plans for another one soon. He answered them all sincerely, secretly wondering if they knew his sexualtiy. At the end of the day he came home to his mother, filling her in on what Niall had sent him, waving goodbye to her and an oblivious Joe before meeting up at Louis' with the boys to do 'homework'.  
  
Harry's week more or less continued like that until Friday, when Niall stopped replying to his texts.  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
Niall had been hiding pretty well all week, staying home and only coming in to school for a few classes to prove he was still alive, though barely. All of the teachers gaped a little at the cuts and bruises on him, more so than usual. However things had changed Thursday night. Tossing in his bed, unable to sleep, Niall had a sinking feeling in his stomach like something was wrong. He buzzed one of his security guards, telling them to come up quickly, and as he put the phone down he heard it.  
The security alarm.   
Instantly, he was out of bed throwing on sweats and a baseball shirt. He knew they'd come straight to his room, so he turned on his light, letting his eyes adjust. The piercing noise of the security alarm subsided, and it was quiet for a few moments before his door creaked open.  
'Hello, Niall.' chuckled Jason. 'We've come to pay you a little visit, since you've been avoiding us.  
  
It had been more painful than it ever was, and Niall wasn't sure how much longer he would last before the security guard hauled the boys off Niall, beating them until they gave in, dragging them away. Niall was drifting in and out of conciousness. They fought dirty this time, brass knuckles and crowbars coming in sharp blows to his face and stomach again and again. His internal organs protested his movement and he lay in bed, gasping for air as he heard the sounds of crowbars in use, the security guard's voice loud and forceful followed by the screeching of tyres. The Lads had gone. Hearing the footsteps, Niall tried to sit up, but was stopped by the pain that seared through his body.  
Something had to be broken.  
'No ambulance. Just leave me.' Niall whispered to the guard, who nodded, backing away.  
'I'm not leaving this house though, Jeff can stay at the Styles' but I'll stay here. Call out if you need anything' he finished as he slid the door behind him, allowing Niall to drift into painful unconsciousness.  
  
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While Louis didn't like the reason that brought Harry's head to his shoulder, he of course liked the feeling. Wrapping an arm around the boy, he comforted Harry.  
'It's ok Hazza, I'm sure he's fine. We can go and check his house this afternoon if you want to be sure.' Harry looked up at him, his emerald eyes so close to his. What he would give to bring them that little bit closer, brushing his lips against Harry's soft, plump ones...  
Snap out of it, Louis.  
'Right, I keep forgetting you know all these things about him. Like, where he lives and stuff' Harry broke the tension, pulling away.  
 _No, don't do that_ , Louis thought.  
'Yeah, I can take you there to check up on him. You said one of the security guards went there last night, right? So he must be alive. Just not replying.' Louis reassured the boy.   
  
The last thing he wanted was for Harry to worry. He had gotten a little protective of him over the last week, especially after hearing the hoardes of girls who harboured crushes on him, and _especially_  after he came out to the group. It was nice to know that his chances had increased, if only minutely. Then there was the fact that he wasn't model fucking hot like Harry was. He didn't even begin to think about that. Even still, he was amazed how at ease Harry was around him, letting his arms slide around him in comfort and even letting Louis nuzzle his face in his soft curls. As the school day grew closer to an end, Harry looked more and more on edge. By the last class he could barely sit still. As the bell tolled, Harry grabbed Louis' arm - thankfully too preoccupied to notice Louis' sharp intake of air - running towards the carpark, barely stopping to wave goodbye to Liam , Dani, Zayn and Perrie, who had been cute as a button all week. As Louis turned to his car Harry swatted his hand, pulling him towards his BMW.  
'We'll come back for it, ok? I just really need to make sure he's alright.' Harry said, unease evident in his voice.  
'Of course Haz.' Lou replied softly. 'Let's go check on him then, shall we'


	13. Shit's Going Down

Louis couldn't help but feel a little anxious pulling up outside of Niall's house. He hadn't been here in what felt like forever, when really it was only a couple of months. Harry pulled the car to a stop, turning the engine off and opening his door. Louis followed suit, attempting to mask his nerves. Harry, not being fooled, reached over and placed his hand on Louis' shoulder.  
'It'll be ok, he won't kick you out. He misses you, remember?' Harry reminded him. In the car, Harry had told him what him and Niall had been talking about the whole time, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt as he realized his friend wanted nothing more than to be back with his real friends.   
  
Harry knocked politely on the door, watching as a large figured shuffled towards it through the stained glass. When the guard answered the door, the curly haired boy piped up.  
'Hey, uh, I just wanted to check on him, he hasn't returned any of my calls or texts today' Harry told the guard, who nodded and let him in.  
'He's probably sleeping. The Lads broke in last night and did a bit of damage to him' The guard responded. Harry's eyes flew open, Louis feeling a stab of pain as he knew that not only was his friend in physical pain, Harry was in emotional pain, and that thought hurt him a lot more than he was willing to admit. He watched as Harry nodded, knowing he had no idea where Niall's room was. Louis took charge, taking Harry's hand and leading him towards the staircase, the butterflies swirling in his stomach as he realized Harry hadn't even flinched at the movement. Louis stopped outside Niall's door, his hand still entangled in Harry's. He felt him squeeze his hand, and looked over to meet his beautiful emerald eyes, sparkling with concern for his friend. Knowing that the gesture would be lost in the moment, he asked:  
'Ready?' and as Harry nodded in response, Louis quickly leaned over, planting a soft kiss on Harry's perfect cheek. Before he could gauge Harry's reaction, he opened the door.  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
Harry didn't know what he was more shocked about: The state Niall was in, or the fact that Louis just kissed his cheek. And he was awake. Shaking his head quickly, he stumbled to Niall's bedside, making him his priority.  
'Niall, shit, what did they do to you?' He gasped, taking in the new cuts and bruises, and the swelling on his face that had gotten pretty bad. He needed a doctor.  
'Harry, shit, I'm sorry I didn't answer your texts. I've been in and out of sleep all day'  
'You probably have concussion, why haven't you gone to the doctor's yet? Your guard could have taken you?' Louis added, his voice sick with concern. Niall blinked his eyes a few times, before taking Louis' hand and squeezing it.  
  
  
'Lou... what are you doing here?' He quizzed, the Irish boy's blue eyes widening with concern. Well, as much as the swelling would allow.  
'You muppet, why didn't you tell me about any of this? I could have been there for you this whole time. I care about you so much, Nialler. I just... I want to help.' With that, Niall's lips twitched into a smile and Louis leant down to softly embraced the broken boy. As he stood up, Harry began:  
'Promise me you'll go to the doctors. Get your security guard to take you, I'll talk to him on my way out. Er, what's his name?' Harry added, realizing he didn't even know the name of his own.  
'Carlos' Niall replied, 'And fine, I'll go. But please, don't tell anyone, I don't want to get Liam and Zayn involved. Please' He begged. The two brunette boys nodded, silently giving him their word.  
'We better go now' Harry said solemnly. 'Before someone sees us here. Plus, we left Louis' car in the student lot. Take care of yourself, Niall. Or at least let Carlos take care of you.' Harry added, squeezing the boy's hand gently.  
'I will. Thank you for caring' He whispered hoarsely, looking as if he would pass out again. Harry watched as Louis blinked back tears, saying:  
'I love you Nialler. I'll always be here for you. I promise.' Niall smiled to him, his eyes fluttering shut.  
  
The two walked silently back to the car, Harry replaying what he had seen over and over, seething with rage. But even that didn't last long, as his memories played back to the soft press of Louis' lips to his cheek and it took every ounce of strength he had to hide a smile.  
 _Now is not the time to be getting all lovey dovey_ , Harry scalded himself, sliding into the drivers seat. As he drove back to the student car lot, a wave of companionable silence fell over the two. If Harry hadn't been concentrating on the road so much he would have noticed Louis gazing up at him fondly, his blue eyes sparkling with affection. They pulled up alongside Louis car, Harry turning the engine off and stepping out of the car. He had no idea what was coming next, and the thought of the possibilities sent waves of butterflies through his stomach. Should he... kiss him? But all of that was cut short by an eerie voice from behind them.  
'Ah boys, what did I say about catching you alone?' Jason casually remarked, his evil eyes glinting at the boys. Tim and Alec stood behind him, both with evil grins plastered to their faces.  
Shit.  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
Kip Farnsworth was always one to stay late at work, but these days it was just becoming ridiculous. He found pathetic excuses to stay behind, knowing all too well it was because he was dreading his home life. Four years ago, he had lost his eldest son. Two months later, his wife committed suicide. He had never quite recovered, and now it was just him and his other son left, who was never home anyway. For this reason, Kip felt the need to devote his life to work, as his devotion to his family had failed him. The other teachers knew it, but none really took any action. He wasn't an alcoholic, he wasn't abusive, he didn't smoke, he was just... depressed. He tried his best to put on a face for his students, but even then that failed him.   
  
Like Harry Styles. Many a time he had slowed his pace, letting kids rush past him as he would ask Kip:  
'Are you alright today, Mr Farnsworth?' Kip would always nod and lie:  
'Just you kids wearing me out. I'm fine'. He had took a bit of a shining to Harry. In the two weeks he had been here, he had already shown he was a more than capable student, acing both pop quizzes he had given the past two Fridays. Kip would know, he had just wasted an hour grading them. Knowing there wasn't much else to do, he rose from his chair, deciding to take a walk around the grounds to clear any children hanging around. He knew four kids were in the music room practicing, so he left that room until last to lock.  
  
Peeking through the music room door, Kip saw Zayn and Liam sitting with guitars in their laps, two girls sprawled on the ground in front of them. Knocking politely, he entered the room.  
'Hey guys, I'm going home soon so I have to lock up. Sorry about that.' He told them, hearing them mumble 'S'fine.' and 'Thanks Mr Farnsworth' in reponse. He had dropped by his office before coming, leaving it to the last minute to kick the boys - and girls - out of the room. Locking up, he led the children down the hall to the front steps, where they could see across the quad to the student carpark. Where they could see...  
Oh, shit.  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
'Shit' Mumbled Mr Farnsworth, and Liam couldn't believe his ears. Had a teacher just  _sworn_  in front of them? His thoughts dissipated as he watched Mr Farnsworth stumbling forward, shouting.  
'Hey! What do you think you're doing there!' He looked up to the student carpark.  
Louis.  
Harry.  
Jason.  
Oh god.  
Zayn, already having processed what was going on, shot forward, Liam hot on his trail. He motioned that the girls stay back and Dani nodded, pulling at Perrie. As he reached the scene, Mr Farnsworth barked.  
'Jason, what the  _fuck_  do you think you're doing young man? Stay right there. I can't believe you, I should have you thrown in jail'.  
'I'm s-sorry, Dad.' Jason cowered in reply.  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
 _Dad?_  Harry thought, incredulous. Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him? He shook his head, feeling the pain from the blows he took.  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
Liam looked over to Tim and Alec, who were already retreating, completely stunned. Hearing their grunts of pain, Liam bent down to Louis and Harry as Mr Farnsworth dragged Jason, his son, away. As the girls appeared behind him, Zayn leant down as well, offering Harry a hand up. Liam followed suit, helping Louis to his feet.  
'Shit guys, how long had that been going on for?' Liam asked, his voice thick with concern and even guilt.  
'Just a couple of minutes. Thank fuck for you guys. And Farnsy.' Louis breathed, spitting a bit of blood from his mouth. He brushed Louis off, completely grateful that they had been kicked out of the music room. If they hadn't, the boys could have gotten seriously injured. He heard Harry clear his throat, his raspy voice asking:  
'So, uh, Jason  _Farnsworth_?' he asked, emphasizing his last name.  
'Yeah' chuckled Liam. 'Poor guy is stuck with a criminal for a son.' Shaking his head. He looked around, knowing that they were fully alone now.  
'Let's get you back to mine and clean you up, my parents aren't home' Liam offered. The boys nodded, heading for their cars. Zayn led Perrie towards his, nodding at Liam as he took Dani in his arms.  
'That was close' She whispered, Liam brushing his lips to her forehead.  
'They'll be alright.' Liam reassured her, pulling his arms tight around her, his thoughts drifting to his friends.


	14. Kiss and Make Up

Harry drove silently, following behind Louis' car as he was led to Liam's house. As he pulled up outside the house and stepped out of his car, he couldn't help but wince at the pain of his muscles protesting. Being kicked in the gut repeatedly would do that to you. Rejoining Louis' side, they stepped into Liam's house, wandering through to the kitchen. Liam was only a few steps behind them, stopping at a cupboard part way up the hall. Dani, Zayn and Perrie all in tow. Louis and Harry sat on the bar stools, inspecting the damage done to each other.  
'Shit Lou, you have a gash on your arm' Harry gasped, wide-eyed. They had mainly just been kicked and punched, nothing an ice pack and some time wouldn't heal. But somewhere along the line a sharp object was involved and it had cut Lou.   
  
Harry sat with an ice pack pressed to his cheek as Liam hummed, working about cleaning the wound and wrapping it in gauze. He watched Liam's brow furrow as he opened his mouth.  
'So what was that all about?' He pressed, packing away the first aid kit. Harry looked to Louis, who merely stared at him, expressionless. As they locked eyes, Louis spoke up.  
'You wanna tell them, Haz?' Harry looked at his feet, wondering if it was appropriate to tell him. He soon realized he wanted all of this to end, and telling the guys would probably help bring them all back together. Nodding, Harry replied.  
'Yeah. You guys might wanna pull up a chair, it's a bit of a long story.'  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
Louis watched their faces as Harry told them what had been happening the past couple of weeks. Liam blinked back tears as Dani stroked his arm comfortingly. Zayn and Perrie were wrapped together, their eyes wide with disbelief as they heard what the curly haired boy had come to know in his short time at Compton. Harry finished, and Louis took a few deep breaths waiting for them to react.  
'Well. I feel like a bit of a shit friend.' Zayn said, finally.  
'What... I just... I want to help. But, I just, I don't know what we can do. What  _can_  we do?' Liam stuttered. He watched Harry drop his head, his curls bouncing as he shook his head.  
'There really isn't much. I dunno. I figure you guys will want to see Niall at some stage? I can invite him over to mine tomorrow if that works.' Harry replied softly. Zayn and Liam looked to each other, nodding.  
'We'll be there' Zayn spoke up. 'Just give us a time.'  
  
Louis came home from Liam's to an empty house and a note on the kitchen bench.  
  
 _Louis,  
I've taken the girls to Doncaster for the weekend, There's $100 under this note for food and whatnot. See you when I come home,  **no parties!**  
Take care honey, sorry I left without letting you know.  
Love Jay_  
  
 _Alone_ , Louis thought to himself as he took some leftovers from the fridge. It was already dark outside, he'd spent the better part of the afternoon at Liam's talking about Niall and what they planned to do about the situation. Hours later, they still had no idea what to do. As the microwave heated last night's dinner, he heard a faint scratching noise. Looking around, he realized just how alone he was. Shaking his head and telling himself to stop being such a wimp, he sat down on the couch to eat. As he watched and ate, he recalled the day's events. Louis remembered how much he wanted to jump in front of Jason and throw him off Harry, but he couldn't. The anger and guilt had coursed through his veins, making him nearly strong enough to fight off Tim and Alec, had they not already gotten him to the ground. He finished his dinner, sliding the plate into the dishwasher and heading upstairs to his room.  
  
After methodically brushing his teeth, Louis curled up in his bed. As he tried to drift off to sleep though, he heard the familiar scratching noise.  
 _The Lads wouldn't come here, they know I have sisters_ , Louis reassured himself.  
 _But maybe they saw them leave_ , he internally argued. As the minutes drew on he became aware of more and more creaking noises throughout the house. Half an hour of tossing and turning in fear later, he caved.  
  
 **To: Haz**  
 _I'm having trouble sleeping in an empty house. Can I come over?_  
  
Louis switched on the lamp and sat up, waiting for the reply text. A few minutes later, his phone buzzed.  
  
 **Haz**  
 _No problem, you'll be safe here! I have a guard and everything. #safetylyf_  
  
Louis chuckled, pulling on a sweater and heading down to the garage, locking all of the doors behind him. After inspecting the car for any people hiding in there, Louis headed for Harry's house.  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
Harry watched as the lights of Louis' car washed over his window. Silently, he creeped down the stairs to avoid waking Anne and Joe. Gemma was back at Uni now, so it was only him. He made it to the door, gently opening it to find Louis - hair matted and face unshaven - casually leaning on the door frame.  
Whoa.  
Stepping back to let him in, Harry gazed over the boy, feeling somewhat embarassed about his thoughts towards him. Pressing a finger to his lips to hush Louis, Harry grabbed his hand as if it were the most natural thing to do and dragged him up the stairs. Harry held his breath until Louis was safely in his room, closing the door silently behind him. As he turned around to offer Louis the couch, he saw the boy making himself comfortable on his bed.  
Um?  
Louis looked at him, he probably wore some stupid stunned expression. Chuckling, he said:  
'It'll be more comfy. I promise I'm not a blanket hog' winking at Harry, who was having a hard time concentrating on anything other than the heat throbbing in his pants.   
  
Shaking that thought right out of his head, he flicked off the main light, walking over to the bed illuminated by his bedside lamp. As he slid under the sheets,Louis followed suit, sliding out of his sweater and shirt first.  
Great.  
He was shirtless.  
Harry took a deep breath with his eyes closed as he felt the warmth of Louis radiating through the sheets. As he opened them, he noticed just how close he was to the boy. Seeing all of his perfect features this close was like laying eyes on him for the first time. His eyes wandered from the boy's brilliant blue eyes to his soft lips, and he thought of the day when those lips were pressed - if only briefly - to his cheek. He watched them part into a smile, and only then did he realize Louis was watching him the whole time. Harry felt the start of a blush, but was too lost in Louis gaze to acknowledge it. Before he realized what he was doing, his face edged closer to the blue eyed boy's.  
  
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Louis moved forward, closing the distance between the boys. As their lips met, he felt the softness of Harry's lips, and it was as good as he had ever dreamed. Maybe even a little better, because this was  _real_. Taking a sharp breath in, Louis pushed their lips back together without gauging Harry's reaction, tangling one hand in his curls and sliding one between the mattress and his waist. His tongue slid through Harry's lips, exploring the every area of his mouth. Louis' thoughts raced as the went through everything he had fantasized about doing to Harry, all the whimpers and moans he had coaxed from the boy's throat. A soft whine escaped from Harry, making Louis weak with pleasure, but still he persisted. He pushed himself onto Harry, slipping his leg in between the boy's. He kissed him harder still, the desire for him too overwhelming to slow down. He felt Harry's hips buck up, Louis gasping as he felt his hardness press against his leg.  
  
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Harry liked the weight of Louis on top of him, and before he could stop it his hips bucked up. He knew Louis had felt it. He had separated their lips for merely a second to gasp in a new breath, before pressing down harder on Harry, making him aware that he was in the same condition. Harry began a rhythm, moving his hips upwards in time with Louis' tongue. After a few thrusts, Louis reciprocated it, his hips moving up and down as Harry's did. Within a few seconds, Louis' lips slipped from Harry's mouth, kissing and sucking his way along Harry's jawline and around his neck, forming bruises that would take a while to heal. Now, the rhythm was no longer set to Louis' tongue, it was set to the soft whisper of Louis' name from Harry's lips each time Lou kissed his neck. Louis picked up the pace, and with that, so did their hips. Harry's soft whispers became whines as he could only raise his voice so much before he woke his parents. Harry grabbed a fistful of Loui's hair, panting:  
'Oh god, Lou. P-p-please, don't-oh god.' He became aware of the heat of Louis' chest on his, despite the fact that he still wore a shirt. He felt Louis' hands move to the hem of his shirt, tugging at it until it was over his head and strewn across the floor.   
  
Getting back to business, Louis began to move back up Harry's throat until their lips met again. He softly grazed them, letting Harry breathe a little, before pressing down into him with more want and desire than Harry could handle. His moans were muffled by Lou's lips, but he knew he was close. His fingers clawed at Louis back, and he knew there'd be red marks there tomorrow but right now he didn't care. He broke the contact of their lips for only a second to mumble a barely coherant sentence consisting of Louis' name and the fact that he was close. Louis nodded, his lips searching hungrily for Harry's. It only took a few more thrusts before Harry felt his eyes roll back into his head, breaking their lips to gasp for air. His muscles tightened and he felt Louis' body quiver in the same way before he collapsed on top of Harry. Panting, he reached a hand up to pull Louis hair out of the way. As their eyes locked Harry smiled, Louis smiling back exhaustedly. There was no other way to describe that smile than when you finally give in to something you want, and it feels so much better than you'd hoped. With that in mind, Harry reached for the lamp with Louis still lying on top of him, switching it off. He wouldn't have to dream of sleeping next to Louis tonight.


	15. He Just Vanished

Harry woke up so completely content with his life that he forgot two things.  
1\. His friend,  _Louis' friend_ , Niall was in pretty big trouble.  
2\. His parents were home.  
The realization of the second point came a second too late, as his mother flung open his door to wake him, calling:  
'Harry, I made your breakf- _oh_. Good morning boys.' Harry rubbed his eyes, prying himself away from Louis' vice grip. He looked down, realizing he was shirtless, and that his shirt sat at his mother's feet.  
There was really no excuses he could make to get out of this one. Anne looked at him, an I'm-onto-you smirk spreading across her face as she winked, silently closing the door behind her and leaving the two boys alone. Harry shook his head, rubbing his face with his hands. As he slid out of bed to retrieve his shirt, he heard the rustling of sheets and a bit of a groan from under the covers.  
'S'too early.' Louis mumbled, his eyes still shut. Harry chuckled, a sudden realization of what to do. Not bothering to put his shirt on, he launched himself onto the bed, probably scaring the shit out of Louis. Fixing himself up, Harry straddled Louis, thankful that the covers were between them. Louis dragged his eyes open, his face blank for a few seconds before breaking into a smile at the curly haired boy looking down at him.  
'Good morning' He mumbled, reaching up to ruffle his curls. Somehow that turned into entangling his hand in Harry's hair and pulling him down, his lips dry and crackly from sleep, but they still felt amazing to Harry. Harry leant down into the kiss, his arms reaching for Louis' waist.   
 _At least this wasn't a spur of the moment thing_ , Harry thought to himself as he peeled off the boy, letting him sit up and ruffle his hair.  
'Good morning to you too' Louis chuckled. Harry blushed, his eyes fixed on his shoes. By then Louis had stood up and had walked over to Harry,pushing his chin up and slipping his head underneath it, his cheek pressed to Harry's chest. He took a deep breath in, feeling Louis' warmth against him and making him feel as if there was nothing wrong with the world.  
Except there was. Harry shook his head, tensing. Louis looked up, acknowledging the change in Harry's behaviour.  
'Is everything ok?' He asked, his blue eyes wide with concern for his friend and his, er, boyfriend? Harry looked straight ahead, leaving his arms wrapped around the shorter boy. Shaking his head, he whispered:  
'No, Niall's in trouble.' His emerald eyes darted to his phone, which had received no calls or texts from Niall. He was concerned, to say the least.  
'Maybe we should skip breakfast then' Louis replied, and Harry tried not to get too distracted by how Louis' lips had wrapped around the word  _we_.  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
Louis texted the boys to avoid the problem watching Harry get changed would have caused. Seeing as he had nothing else other than pyjamas and a sweater, Harry threw him a pair of jeans and his Ramones shirt, which Louis had become very fond of over the course of their friendship.  
Relationship.   
Whatever it was.   
Harry ducked out of the room as Louis threw on the jeans, grabbing a belt as Harry was taller and had a bigger build than him. Throwing his sweater over the t-shirt, he followed the hallway to the stairs. As he creaked down the stairs, he heard muffled voices from the kitchen. Having only been in there once before, he mainly followed the trail left by the voices. He emerged in the kitchen to see Harry, Anne, and another man whose name he didn't know. Harry cleared his throat, turning to the man.  
'Joe, this is Louis. Louis, this is my step-dad Joe' Louis stretched his hand out politely.  
'Nice to meet you Joe' He smiled at the man, who kindly returned the handshake replying:  
'Good morning, Louis. Pleasure to meet you as well. Care to join us for breakfast? Harry was telling us you had to go but I'm sure you can stick around for pancakes?' Louis' eyes moved to Anne, who was mouthing  _Is Niall OK_  across the kitchen. He answered both Joe and Anne, saying:  
'I'm sorry, I'd love to, but one of our mates needs us at the moment. Maybe some other time?' He offered, taking in Anne's expression as she got her answer. With that, Harry mumbled his goodbyes, Louis managing to squeeze out a 'Thank you' to the parents before being dragged out the door to find Niall.  
'We're going to get Zayn and Liam first. Strength in numbers.' Harry said sternly. Louis nodded, pulling out his phone and telling them where to meet.  
  
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Liam's phone buzzed, pulling him out of his lazy Saturday sleep. Dani was sprawled across the bed beside him, her wild hair falling over the pillow. He sat up, rubbing his eyes, readying himself for the only thing that could have happened to make someone wake him up before at least noon.  
Something was going to happen about Niall.   
Liam had no idea what, or how, but all he knew was he was in. He owed it to Niall. Reaching for his phone, he checked the messages.  
  
 **Lou**  
 _Something's happened to Niall. We're going to his house atm. Meet at the school car park in 15 mins._  
  
Liam presumed the  _we_  meant Louis and Harry, and as he pulled his shirt on he silently wondered if those two had gotten over their fear of telling each other how they felt yet. It was clear as day to everyone else. He heard a groan as Dani woke up, bringing his thoughts back into the room.  
'What... Are you awake? What's wrong?' Dani asked groggily. She sat up, and Liam wanted nothing more than to jump right back in bed with her. But he had to be a good friend here. She would be waiting when he got home. Nodding his head, he replied:  
'Yeah, something's gone wrong with Niall. I might be out all day. I have the house to myself all weekend though, so you can stay if you want. I can drive you home if you want too. Though, I should have you know I'd rather have you in my bed all day even if I'm not in it' Dani giggled, her beautiful smile spreading across her face.  
'OK. I'll make you dinner then?' She offered. Liam smiled, feeling pretty damn lucky right about now.   
‘That sounds like a perfect idea’ He accepted, leaning over to kiss her forehead as she crinkled her nose. He turned to leave the room, closing his bedroom door softly behind him.  
  
Liam pulled into an empty school car park, thinking that  _of course_  he was the first one there. He sat on the hood of his car alone, composing his thoughts for a few minutes until the heard the familiar rumble of an Audi. Looking up, he watched as Zayn pulled into the school, parking next to Liam’s BMW. Zayn stepped out of his car, and Liam noticed his chocolate brown eye’s crazed expression, half concern and probably half sleep deprivation.  
‘So I’m guessing you got the text too then?’ Zayn asked.  
‘Yeah’ Liam replied, unsure of what else to say.  
‘Did you notice how the text said  _we_ ’ Zayn sniggered, and Liam couldn’t help but chuckle at that. So he  _wasn’t_  the only one to notice. His thoughts were interrupted by the purr of Louis’ Mercedes as he pulled in, Harry in the passenger seat. The two stepped out of the car, Harry’s green eyes flecked with concern, Louis’ mouth in a hard like. The two walked a few paces before Harry closed the distance between them, grabbing Louis’ hand. With that touch, Louis softened a little.  
Yeah.  
They were together.  
‘So how is he?’ Liam asked, suspecting the answer wouldn’t be good. Louis looked over to Harry, whose eyes dropped and his mouth pulled into a frown.  
‘We, uh, we don’t know.’ He replied. Before anyone could question him, Louis jumped in:  
‘He wasn’t home. The last time anyone saw him was his guard who watched him leave to go to the hospital over two hours ago. We went there though and no one had a record of him being there. We found his car in the car park, but not him. He just… vanished.’ Louis lingered on the last word. Liam heard the audible gasp from Zayn, and in his own confusion, he asked:  
‘Have you got the police involved?’ Harry, nodded, before replying:  
‘There’s not much they can do what with the short time frame he’s been missing.’  
‘Yeah but he could be  _dead_  by now for all we know’ Zayn shot back, everyone wincing at the word _dead_. Liam shook the thought from his head, and composed himself before saying matter-of-factly:  
‘Well, I guess we should go looking for him then.’  
_________________________________  
  
  
Niall woke with a throbbing pain in his head and a sudden realization that he was not in a hospital bed. He had caved, telling his guard he would go to the hospital for the sake of his friends' concern. He had driven there, parked his car and began walking. That was all he could remember from Saturday morning. He wasn’t even sure it was still Saturday. His bruised and broken limbs protested as he sat up, taking in quick shallow breaths as that was all the pain he could tolerate. He had no idea where he was, but he figured it was someone’s basement, seeing as he was lying on concrete and could hear footsteps above him. In the distance, a door creeked open and light spilled down the dusty staircase, a black figure standing in the doorway.  
‘He’s awake, Jase’ A voice called, echoing off the walls. Niall heard a muffled response, before a light flicked on and the three boys walked down the stairs, each echoing footstep making his head throb more than before. He kept his eyes closed, knowing that the pain of having them open wasn’t worth it, his face was so swollen. Arms wrapped around him, dragging him off the floor. His feet were splayed behind him, completely useless.  _What had they done to him_?   
‘Just taking you out for some fresh air, Nialler. It is a Saturday night after all, perfect time for a stroll by the tracks, eh?’ Jason chuckled as he dragged the boy up the stairs like a ragdoll, pain searing through his chest. Wondering how the hell Jason got to him, he tried as hard as he could to push through the pain, thinking of when he had driven to the hospital. He remembered walking, stumbling almost when something sharp hit the back of his head…  _oh_. If Jason had been heartless enough to knock him unconscious and leave him in a basement, there was only one thing he could be doing right now.  
Niall wasn’t ready to die.


	16. An Eye For An Eye. Revenge. Whatever.

'We've been looking all fucking day. I don't know where he could have gone' Zayn cursed, tugging at his hair. Harry took a deep breath in, thinking of the worst. He saw the condition Niall was in after Jason and the Lads paid him a 'visit', so he knew those boys were relentless. It was Jason who took him, Harry knew it. There was  _no one_  else. Sighing, he regained his composure and turned back to the conversation, hearing Liam fret:  
'... that's it. We've searched everywhere he could be short of Jason's fucking basement.' Harry nodded, before shaking his head.  
'His basement?' he questioned.  
'You didn't think I was being serious, right?' Liam asked, eyebrow raised.  
'It's the only place we haven't checked.' Harry pointed out. He watched all three shake their heads.  
'No way in hell we're going there' Zayn shot at him. 'They'll beat the shit out of us'  
'Well, we don't have to go  _in_ , we just have to see in one of the windows' Louis said, speaking for the first time in ages. After meeting up with the boys, he had said little and it was starting to concern Harry, but he had bigger priorities at the moment. Turning his thoughts back to Niall, he replied.  
'Lou has a point. It couldn't hurt to check.' The boys mumbled, but it sounded like a mumble of agreement. Nodding, Harry headed for his car. For communication purposes, they had decided to share a car earlier that morning. As the other boys followed behind, Harry took a deep breath and hoped his friend was okay.  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
Louis let the boys walk in front of him, to be honest he'd let them walk in front of him all day. He walked slowly, processing everything in his head. He wanted nothing more than to forget everything that was happening and take Harry back in his arms, the way he had slept last night, but this was a pretty big deal. Niall could be  _dead_. Louis had thought of all the amazing things Niall had done for him since they had met almost 12 years prior. He hung his head low, trying to force back the tears that had yet to come. Wordlessly- and ignoring Harry's concerned glance - Louis slipped into the passenger seat of Harry's car. The boys remained fairly silent around him, only speaking up when they had questions about what they were to do if they found Niall down there.  
No one really had an answer for that one.  
  
Call it lucky, call it unlucky, but Niall wasn't in the basement. The four peered down, the light on but no one downstairs. Sighing with a bit of relief knowing that he wasn't trapped anywhere no one could find him, the boys returned to their car a few houses down. The sun had almost set by now, and it was making Louis more nervous than before.  
'Well, we might have to call it a night. It'll be dangerous for us as well if we snoop around in the dark' Liam said, taking on his father-like tone. He had always been the more mature one of the group.  
'But I just don't get how he could vanish. The hospital called and said his car is still there. He just... he wouldn't do that.' Zayn said, his voice hurting with exhaustion. 'I mean, we've checked everywhere the Lads usually go. We even found their lair at school. They don't really go anywhere else...' Zayn trailed off, blinking back tears of frustration.  
'I know man' Harry comforted him. 'But I mean, you've found me before when they took me, you said it yourself that it was really obvious where they'd take me. You knew to look for me at the tracks, and hell, you found me.' Louis watched Zayn and Liam's heads snap up, their eyes wide much like his own.  
That was it.  
They knew where he was.  
 _I wonder if he's still alive_ , Louis wandered as the car pulled away from the kerb.  
  
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Niall couldn't breathe. They had dragged him the whole way to the train tracks. His ribs protested with pain and he fell in and out of consciousness throughout the journey. Occasionally he would wake to the sound of Jason panting, tiring at the effort of dragging the small blonde boy. Tim and Alec were being useless, sharing the weight of the rope between the two of them.   
 _This has gone past the point of revenge. This is more like a fucking brain for an eye_ , Niall thought as another stab of pain ripped through his ribs. He took a gasping breath, knowing that the journey would be over soon. He was beginning to greet death now. He knew he wouldn't feel the train hit him. It'd be too fast. Slowing his breaths, he felt Jason pull him to his feet.  
'Now Nialler, I'm gonna need you to stay upright for this. Can you do that?' Jason chuckled as he held his hands to his sides, Alec beginning to circle him with the rope, tightening it to his body. Niall nodded, too weary to be sarcastic in any way. The rope itched, but that was a discomfort he could easily put up with compared to everything else. He couldn't even stand properly, his legs were numb. He wouldn't stay upright if Jason stopped taking his weight on him. As Alec finished with the rope, he stepped back. Jason began to move Niall, laying him down on the tracks. Niall wondered if slipping into unconsciousness would make it all that easier.   
  
A few minutes of silence must have passed, and Niall thought he had already died. But he hadn't seen the light of the train, hadn't heard the blaring engine. It was just black. Then suddenly, he heard a noise.  
 _That's not a train_ , he wondered to himself, eyes still shut. He heard screams, shouts, something... humanly. And it wasn't Jason. He heard the familiar sound of fighting, of punches and kicks being thrown, string after string of curse words. Before he could tear his eyes open, he heard a breath panting heavily and felt arms close around him. These arms were not like Jason's. They were warm, comforting. The boy smelled of cinnamon, and Niall wriggled his nose at the delight of something nice, to soften the pain he was in. He heard a voice mumble:  
'I got you Nia-' but the mumble was interrupted by a squealing of tires, the loud thud that followed echoing through Niall's throbbing headache as he gave over to the darkness.  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
The fact that they were right made Louis a little nervous. Nervous, because none of them were prepared to fight. Even still, the four of them threw open the doors of the car. They ran around the corner to the tracks, where they had seen Niall punch Harry just over a week before. This time however, they were greeted with a much more gruesome sight. The three stood over Niall, whose face had swollen almost beyond recognition, and whose legs sprawled limply below him. The four boys took loud gasps, and were soon met with the eyes of the Lads. They took no time charging over, and Louis braced himself. He knew who he would take on. He owed it to Niall. He felt Liam and Zayn at his sides, Harry having stepped to the side to sneak off and grab Niall. Locking eyes with Jason, Louis took a deep breath and stepped towards him, connecting his fist to his stomach in a sharp blow. Jason's eyes bulged a little, but he took no time in throwing an uppercut back at Louis. The pain bit into him, and he could taste blood in his mouth.   
  
He didn't give a fuck. Niall had been putting up with this for months, and the thought fueled Louis' rage. Grabbing for Jason, he made contact with his stomach again, but this time using his knee. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Liam throw a right hook at Alec, who turned limp from the blow, collapsing on the grass. His distraction was taken advantage of though, and before he knew it Jason had him on the ground, pain searing through his stomach. Struggling, Louis fought his way out from underneath him and pinned Jason down in return, letting his fists fly aimlessly. Jason fought back the blows, pushing Louis up off of him. Jason stood up, stumbling a little towards the road. Louis launched at him, shoving him as hard as he could.  
Right into the headlights of a car.  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
Harry's head whipped around to the fight as soon as he had Niall in his arms. He watched Liam knock Alec to the ground in a swift punch, while Zayn had Tim pinned to the ground. The only one that was left was Louis, who was fighting his way out from underneath Jason. Stumbling over from the tracks,Harry was about ready to drop Niall and go after Louis. But he had fought hard enough until Jason shoved him off, scrambling to his feet. Harry began to mumble to Niall that it was him who was holding the broken blonde boy, but what happened cut him off. Louis shoved Jason,  _hard_  straight onto the road, and into the path of an oncoming car. He winced as he heard the squealing, followed by the loud thud. He managed to put one foot in front of the other, powering towards the boys who stood frozen, speechless. The door to the car flung open, Jay spilling out from the driver's seat.  
Jay?  
  
  
'Oh holy shit, I mean, no girls, stay in the car, oh my god oh my god I need to call an ambulance. Louis? Zayn? Liam? Harry, wait,  _Niall_?? What  _happened_?' She gasped, the words spilling from her mouth. Before anyone could talk, she was on her phone, calling for an ambulance.   
'Yes, the train tracks. I've hit a boy, he stumbled onto the road. It looks like they were here torturing another boy. Yes, there's two casualties. Please, hurry' She stammered into the phone, tears welling in her eyes. Harry felt the limp body in his arms come to life, squirming a little.  
'Jay' The blonde boy whispered. She gasped.  
'Yes, Niall darling. I'm getting you help' She replied, reaching for his hand.  
'An eye for an eye.' He chuckled to himself as she squeezed his hand, making him wince a little. Harry had no idea what he meant by that. He looked down at him, aware of the fact that the others were looking too. Probably just as confused.  
'What do you mean, an eye for an eye?' Louis questioned, having moved over to wrap his arms around his mother.  
'Jas-' He coughed, blood rising to his mouth. He returned to his whisper:  
'Jason was the drunk driver. He killed Fizzy'


	17. The Epilogue-Of-Sorts Part 1

**Three Months Later**

  
  
Harry pushed Niall into school in his wheelchair. He was beaming from ear to ear, happy that his friend had finally recovered enough to be discharged from the hospital. Harry had spent the past few months visiting Niall on an almost daily basis, and the two were impossibly close now. Harry and Niall shared a sacred bond between them, Harry having been the one holding Niall when he took his first steps after the incident. It had been a long three months, and Harry had paid for it, but it was worth it. Louis and him were on talking basis, but their conversations usually consisted of how Niall was doing, seeing as Harry had gained permission to leave school every lunch time to visit him. Apart from sitting together in class, he and Louis rarely caught up outside of school unless it was at Niall's bedside. But Niall was back now, and maybe he was ready to try again. He hadn't stopped thinking about the boy, his piercing blue eyes and perfect smile were all he saw when he closed his eyes at night.  
  
Rolling up to the main doors, Niall raised his hand for Harry to stop.  
'I can take it from here, Haz' Niall reassured him, rising cautiously from the chair, his legs still brittle and weak. Calmly, Harry watched his friend as he stood on his own, smiling wider than he'd ever seen. Returning the smile, Harry folded up the wheelchair and left it by the door, making a mental note to come back for it later. Harry pushed open the doors, and the two of them stepped into Compton, buzzing with students gossiping about Niall's return. They were greeted, however, by 6 beaming smiles. Liam and Dani, Zayn and Perrie, Louis, and Sarah, who Niall had left all those months ago. She had shown up at his bedside, blaming herself like everyone else did for not cluing in. She had visited twice a week every week since, and it was clear she still loved him. The two locked eyes, Niall's smile growing impossibly wider. Harry looked down, knowing that the only person that could make him smile like that wasn't particularly talking to him. He watched as Sarah took Niall in her arms, Danielle and Perrie 'aww'-ing at the sight. Liam and Zayn looked on affectionately. It was only then did Harry realize Louis' eyes were trained on him.  
  
After the initial greetings, the group got back to its usual ways. Music class was first, meaning all five would be together. Harry sat quietly, watching Niall grow back into the sweet, funny boy he used to be. He thought about the past few months and all that had happened. Jay hadn't been charged with manslaughter, nor had Louis, seeing as he shoved him in self defence. Tim and Alec had been sent to prison seeing as they were both 18, and were sent to the same one as Niall's brother. Funnily enough. Harry had visited them, hearing their stories about how much they were being tortured by Greg. Harry shook his head, wondering why people always wanted to get revenge. There was no one to have a vengeance on any of the boys this time though. They had all gone to Jason's funeral, even Niall despite being on a drip and in a wheelchair. The boys all held Mr Farnsworth as he cried, knowing the pain he would be in losing his last family member. He still taught History at the school, and Harry had always made a habit of bringing him a home-cooked meal and talking to him about his day. He was his favourite teacher, after all.  
  
Snapping back to reality, he saw the hand nudging him that had brought him back. Louis slipped a note into his hand, his gaze never leaving the front of the room. Harry unfolded the paper, reading Louis' quick scrawl:  
  
 _Haz,  
I'm glad Niall's back for good. It means you're be back too. Can we talk next class in the quad? _  
  
Harry scrunched up the note, shoving in his pocket. After a few seconds he turned his head to meet Louis' gaze. He nodded slowly, making the worried expression on Louis' face drop. The boy smiled at him, and he couldn't help smiling back.  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
Watching Harry push Niall up to the front doors of the school made Louis' heart swell at seeing just how compassionate that boy was. He hadn't seen Harry smile like that in a long time. Not since that time Louis had stayed over. He missed his cinnamon smell and his soft skin more than he wanted to admit, and he knew today of all days would be the best chance to get Harry back. When Niall stood up and walked into school, the six of them gasped. None of them thought he had progressed enough to go more than a few metres without his wheelchair. Harry, being the perfect friend he was, rushed ahead to open the door, allowing Niall to carefully tread into the main hallway. Hundreds of eyes turned to watch the boy take a few steps in, before returning to their lives. Harry walked in behind, lifting his head to see them standing there. Louis tried to fix his gaze on Niall, but failed.   
  
  
His peripherals caught Sarah beaming, as she sauntered to the frail boy and wrapped her thin arms around him. He nuzzled into her, too weak to do much else. Louis was watching Harry all the while, until their eyes locked. Louis saw a thousand expressions dance across his emerald green eyes before he composed himself, pulling his perfect lips into a friendly smile. Louis felt himself smiling back as the boys embraced Niall lightly. Well,  _kind of_  lightly. Zayn swept the blonde boy off his feat, causing a loud chuckle to escape his throat. Liam wrapped an arm around him, telling him how glad he was to have him back. Louis walked over, grabbing Niall's hand. The two locked their blue eyes momentarily, saying more than words ever could. When Niall nodded in acknowledgement, Louis' smile widened and he turned back to the rest of them.  
'Well, we better get to music. We'll see you girls at break, yeah?' Zayn smiled, grabbing Perrie around her waist, coaxing a giggle from her lips. He smiled as he leant down to kiss her, and Louis felt a pang of desire as he imagined doing the same to Harry. Being effortlessly in love with him, like breathing. Louis wanted that. Liam nodded in agreement to Zayn's statement, taking Dani in his arms and brushing his lips to hers. With Sarah wrapped around Niall, it was only Louis and Harry standing alone. Louis looked down at his feet until he felt the hand of Zayn dragging him towards the music room.  
  
Louis hadn't heard a single word the teacher had said. For the most part, his thoughts drifted to Harry. How he had closed him out. He had seen Anne a few times at the grocery store, her and Jay had struck up a bit of a friendship too after having to go to a Parent/Teacher conference after the  _events_. She always insisted he come over for breakfast one morning, but he always politely declined, not sure of how Harry would react. Every lunch he watched at the familiar BMW pull out of the school, knowing that he was going to check on Niall. Louis was kind of happy those two had grown so close, but he was also a little jealous. What he would give to have Harry come over to see him every day.   
  
Shaking his head, he took advantage of the teacher's turned back. Scribbling quickly, he wrote out a note. It was supposed to be longer, but all he could manage was three sentences. He nudged Harry, and after grabbing his attention he slipped the paper into his outstretched hand. Their fingers touched and Louis felt the vaguely-familiar hum of electricity he felt when Harry held him. He stared at the boy, waiting desperately for an answer. He had all but given up when he watched him scrunch up the paper, but Harry turned to meet his gaze. Nodding slowly, and Louis gave him a little smile. When he returned it, Louis sunk back into his chair and began wondering about the possibilities of being with Harry Styles.


	18. The Epilogue-Of-Sorts Part 2

Louis sat in the quad, taking sharp breaths in and out. He hadn't looked back as he bolted from music class, making sure he was there before Harry so he could compose himself. It wasn't going too well. His fingers dug at the grass, and he wondered why he was getting so god damn nervous. He knew how Harry felt about him,  _obviously_ , but he wasn't sure if he still did. But how could feelings just disintegrate? It wasn't like they'd fought, life had just gotten in the way.   
  
He was too busy thinking to realize that the curly haired boy had padded over to the grass, taking a seat next to him. Louis looked up, meeting those emerald green eyes which sparked a new round of hyperventilation. He gulped it down though, and managed to stammer out a few words.  
'Sorry for making it sound so... serious. I just, we just, haven't properly spoken in a while.' He felt himself rambling, but just let it go. 'And I thought that now Niall's back you won't leave every lunch or spend all of your time at the hospital and maybe we can hang out a little more because I thought I made it pretty obvious I fancied you and then I stayed over but then everything happened with Niall and you stopped holding my hand and putting your arms around me and I miss it and-' His words were cut off by Harry's lips pressing firmly against his.   
  
Louis eyes opened in shock, before letting them close, moving into the kiss. His hand instinctively reached for Harry's curls, locking into them. With the other, he pulled Harry towards him, the two collapsing on the grass of the quad. Harry's tongue licked into his mouth, sending a ripple of warmth down his body. Louis felt the boy's hands slip under the hem of his shirt, pawing softly at his stomach. A low moan escaped his throat, with Harry pushing himself on top of him. This was definitely against school rules. Louis realized this, and broke contact of their lips grudgingly. Harry didn't stop though, kissing his way down his jaw to his neck, where he began sucking at the skin until it turned a satisfying purple colour. Louis gasped, grabbing onto Harry's firm arms. Harry stopped only momentarily to smile, before kissing his way back up to Louis' mouth, which hung open. Louis reconnected their lips, putting his hand behind Harry's head so he could push them together, closer. Every feeling for Harry Louis had bottled up was seeping through, the desire and need evident in the way he grabbed at the boy. He felt Harry push off him, but didn't allow their lips to break. He felt the boy pull him up with him, and the two began stumbling.   
 _Where?_  Louis thought as Harry dragged him along, their tongues fighting for dominance. It wasn't until Louis felt the warmth of metal behind him did he realize where Harry was taking him.  
  
_________________________________  
  
  
Harry couldn't really think, but he thought enough to know they would be in serious trouble if they fucked on the quad.  
Wait.  
Was it really going to go that far?  
Harry didn't know the answer to that, so he began to drag Louis towards his car. It was parked at the back of the student car park and had tinted windows, so he figured they wouldn't get caught. He pulled Louis towards him as he stumbled towards the car. Harry had wanted this for so long, when Louis had started rambling about how he missed his touch it all but drove him wild. When they reached the car he pushed Louis up against it, letting the desire take over. He felt Louis' hand move from his waist to the door handle, yanking it open. Harry pushed him inside so he was laying down on the back seat. Their lips had broken contact, and Harry was able to take a moment to admire the boy lying in the back seat of his car. His messy hair, his lips red from kissing, and the bulge tugging at his jeans.  
 _Oh_.  
  
Harry took no time climbing in on top of him and closing the door behind him, letting his hands tug at the smaller boy's shirt. He pulled it up over his head, flinging it into the front seat. He momentarily admired the bruises he'd already sucked onto the boy's skin, before feeling a hand grab a handful of curls and pull him back down. Once their mouths were reconnected, Louis' tongue winning the battle for dominance, he felt his hands undo the buttons on his shirt. Shakily, he helped by undoing a few himself. When Louis touched his bare chest, Harry gasped, his eyes rolling back into his head. Having let the want for Louis take over, he let his hands wander to Louis' jeans, which looked uncomfortably tight at the moment. He fumbled with the zip of his jeans, before tugging them down with his boxers. As his hand touched Louis for the first time, he heard him gasp.  
'Oh god, Harry. P-Please' He moaned, letting his head fall back.  
  
Harry took that as a green light, and he began to stroke it, feeling Louis' hips pushing up in time with it. He kissed his way down Louis' throat, to his chest. But he didn't stop there, he continued kissing down the centre of his chest, past his bellybutton until he reached it. He slowed his hand movements, and Louis looked down at him, mouth gaping. Harry drew his tongue from the base to the tip, felling Louis shudder with delight. He then wrapped his mouth around it, picking up the rhythm his hand had dropped.   
'Oh god. Harry. Yes' Louis moaned, grabbing a fistful of Harry's curls. He liked the way it stung, it made him want to please him more. Pushing his mouth down further and further, he added his hand back, pumping in time to his mouth. He looked up at Louis, meeting his sparkling blue eyes. He watched Louis mouth slacken, knowing the eye contact was pushing him further to the edge. Louis began moaning, Pushing Harry's head up and down more forcefully. Harry took it all in his mouth, knowing Louis wasn't far now.  
'Dont' stop. Please. I-I-I'm c-close' Louis moaned, his free hand tangling in his own hair. Harry picked up the pace, taking it in a few more times before he felt Louis' body spasm, and a warm liquid hit the back of his throat. He slowed down, allowing Louis to calm down. Harry swallowed, feeling it run down his throat. He wasn't quite expecting what Louis said next.  
'I want you to fuck me, Harry.'  
  
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Louis hadn't realized what he said until he'd said it. It was a spur of the moment thing, I guess. He had just gotten the best head of his life from the boy he'd been fantasizing about for months and now he was asking him to fuck him?  
'M'kay' Harry responded, his voice low and raspy. Reaching into his school bag on the floor of the car, he pulled out a condom and a bottle of lube. Was he expecting this to happen? Louis stopped caring though, as Harry pulled down his pants and sprang free of his boxers. A moan escaped Louis' throat, as he watched Harry lather the lube on. He pulled him down towards him, spreading his legs. Nodding at Harry, he felt as he pushed inside him. He watched as Harry's emerald eyes grew wide with pleasure as Louis gaped, before pulling him down and kissing him, letting his tongue lap into Harry's mouth slowly. They were paced now, no need to rush anything. They moved in sync, both letting out the occasional moan. Harry began to pick up the pace, and Louis sensed he was near. He felt pretty close himself. He watched Harry gasp as his thrusting became more erratic, moaning:  
'Oh Louis, fuck, Lou, yes' Louis let his head fall back as he moaned and let pleasure take over, feeling his body spasm again, come spilling over his stomach. He felt Harry turn limp on top of him as the thrusted one last time before coming. Harry lay on top of him, panting. Louis brushed away the curls, looking into the eyes of the boy. Smiling a little, he spoke:  
'I have been waiting 3 months to do that.' He smiled, pressing his lips lightly to Harry's.  
  
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Harry would have been content to lay in Louis' arms all day, but they were at school and naked so that was probably not such a good idea. He lay with his head on Louis' chest, his hand tracing circles over the small amount of chest hair the boy had. He felt the steady rise and fall of Louis chest, and his hand combing softly through his hair. Honestly, he'd waited for months to be back in Louis' arms, and it felt better than he could have imagined. After a moment that felt like a lifetime, he felt Louis take in a deep breath before speaking.  
'We should probably head back to class. People might think something is up. Though I will have you know I want nothing more than to lie here all day with you.' He whispered, pressing a soft kiss into his curls. Harry smiled, prying himself off of the boy.   
  
After wiping themselves off with a spare shirt he had in his bag, the two slid from the car, taking time to neaten each other's hair. Harry smiled, wanting to be able to touch Louis forever, even in the most harmless way. He realized he was staring when Louis laughed, reaching up to kiss him lightly. Harry stretched out his arm, entangling his fingers in Louis'.  
'Back to class' Louis whispered, and with his free hand he touched Harry's nose with his finger.  
'That would probably be a good idea. I gotta check on Nialler too.' Harry replied, squeezing Louis' hand tighter. 'You coming with me?' he added.  
'Of course' Louis smiled as he took a few steps forward, leading Harry with their intertwined hands.  
  
As they walked back towards the school Harry thought about moving to Fulham all those months ago, and how it was the best decision of his life.


End file.
